Manama: Kuwait has arrested two men, a Gulf national and an Arab, for their alleged involvement in an extensive visa-trafficking racket.
The pair allegedly brought into Kuwait 95 foreigners who paid them a total of KD130,000 for their visas.
The Gulf national reportedly claimed he had 15 companies and that he needed the visas to help bring in workers from abroad.
The Arab national allegedly sold the visas to the foreigners lured by lucrative contracts in the country. However, the police discovered that the companies did not exist and that the foreigners were told to look for jobs in the country on the "free visa" basis.
The Arab man who reportedly arranged for brining in the foreigners from different countries was given KD300 ($1,072) for each of the visas he sold, local Arabic daily Al Anba reported on Thursday.
The foreigners arrested for their role in the swindle said that they paid between KD1,200 ($4,290) and KD 1,500 ($5,361) for the visa. The police are now seeking to arrest all those involved in the trafficking racket discovered after the immigration and nationality undersecretary was tipped about the bogus companies owned by the Gulf national.
According to the daily, the Gulf national whose identity was not revealed said that he set up his "business" in Kuwait after he discovered that trafficking in visas was relatively easy.
The Arab said that he conducted his operations mainly in cafes where he offered services.
