Hakki Pikki Family Stranded in Mozambique After Visa Fraud
Shivamogga: A family from the tribal Hakki Pikki community in Shivamogga district has been stranded in Mozambique after falling victim to an international visa fraud. The three-member family is currently trapped in a remote location and faces the threat of arrest by local immigration authorities.
The stranded individuals have been identified as Milan Kumar, his wife Kavya, and their relative Gambhir, all residents of the Hakki Pikki camp in Shivamogga. Following a long-standing community tradition, the trio traveled to the East African nation two months ago to sell traditional herbal oils and indigenous medicines.
According to reports, before their tourist visa could expire, the family proactively handed over their original passports along with an estimated sum of four lakh rupees to a local agent in Mozambique to process an official visa extension. However, the agent took the cash and their official documents and disappeared. The agent has remained completely untraceable for the past month.
“The family is currently marooned in a location roughly two thousand kilometers away from Maputo. Without their physical passports and valid visas, they can neither step outside to conduct their business nor travel across the country safely to seek help,” stated their relatives in Shivamogga. Facing an acute shortage of resources and the constant fear of police detention, the family released a video message on Thursday pleading for immediate intervention from the Indian government.
Puneeth Kumar, the president of the Karnataka Hakki-Pikki tribal organization, formally approached the government on their behalf. “The stranded family made an urgent appeal to the Government of Karnataka, the Ministry of External Affairs, and the Indian Embassy in Maputo to secure their documents and arrange for their safe repatriation to India,” he informed.
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