Muscat: The Royal Oman Police have caught a gang of visa racketeers who allegedly obtained residency visas, which are mandatory for foreign workers, through fraudulent means.
The 10-member gang of Asians was arrested from the central desert region of Al Wusta, the local Al Watan Arabic daily quoted police as saying.
They were accused of forging passports, as well as the official seals and forms of the ministries of Manpower and Health – whose permits are an essential prerequisite for expatriates seeking residency visas to work or reside in the Sultanate.
Police raided the gang’s hideout in Hamriyah in Muscat and seized computers, forging accessories, and other incriminating material used by the gang, the newspaper said. The group has been handed over to the Public Prosecution pending their trial in a Muscat criminal court, the report added.
The arrests come as Oman’s government intensifies a crackdown against expatriates continuing to live and work in the sultanate on expired visas or without proper documentation.
Last week, the Ministry of Manpower announced a two-month extension in its general amnesty for so-called ‘overstaying expatriates’, enabling them to seek exit permits to leave the country without having to pay hefty fines or suffer prison terms.
An estimated 30,000 ‘overstaying expatriates’ have so far signed up for the amnesty programme.
