Massive visa scam and human trafficking operation with links to gov't officials exposed in Mogadishu

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Massive visa scam and human trafficking operation with links to gov't officials exposed in Mogadishu

MOGADISHU (HORN OBSERVER) – Mogadishu was shaken by a shocking incident on July 8 when a group of individuals stormed the premises of a travel agency located at KM4 junction, accusing the agency, as reported by the media, of orchestrating a lar

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Victims storm Toronto Tours and Travel Agency premises in Mogadishu's KM4 on Saturday night 8 July 2023.

MOGADISHU (HORN OBSERVER) – Mogadishu was shaken by a shocking incident on July 8 when a group of individuals stormed the premises of a travel agency located at KM4 junction, accusing the agency, as reported by the media, of orchestrating a large-scale visa scam.

Allegedly, fake visas to Canada, Europe, and Qatar were issued, leaving at least 240 victims in their wake.

Police officers who intervened said they apprehended approximately seven individuals believed to be involved in running the fraudulent Toronto Tours and Travel Agency which operates two branches in the city.

The victims, who had paid between $4,000 to $12,000, eagerly anticipated their promised tourist and work visas to Canada, Italy, Finland, Germany as well as Qatar, only to discover that they had been duped with counterfeit documents.

Among those affected was Qasim Mohamed Ali, who expressed his frustration, saying, "We were promised to get visas to travel to Canada. Some of my friends were promised to travel to Italy, and others were told they would receive visas to Finland and Qatar, where they could work.”

Yasin Mohamed, known as Yaaska, had even higher hopes when he paid $8,500 to the Toronto Tours and Travel Agency for a promised Schengen visa to Italy. However, after waiting for 45 days, he was handed back his passport with a fake Italian visa sticker. "When I checked the visa, it was not authentic. I demanded my money back, but the man had disappeared from the agency. When we reached there on Saturday, only his employees were present,” he explained.

Another victim, Mohamed, revealed that he paid $3,500 for a visa to Qatar and an additional USD 1,800 for a plane ticket, as he had been promised employment at a company in Doha. After nearly a month and paying the full amount, he received a fake visa attached to his passport. His disappointment was compounded when, upon arriving at the Mogadishu airport last week, immigration officials informed him that the visa was not genuine, resulting in his return to Mogadishu.

The Hodan police officers are currently investigating the case following their intervention at the fake visa agency in KM4, where an enraged crowd had gathered. The Office of the Somali Attorney General issued a statement confirming that they are also investigating seven individuals in connection with the visa scam and human trafficking.

Since the incident, an increasing number of victims, totaling approximately 500, have come forward, recounting similar experiences of falling victim to the same scammers.

The issue of visa scammers promising opportunities abroad is not new, and initial investigations suggest the involvement of certain government officials. The protracted conflict, poverty, and unemployment in Somalia have forced many young people to seek better lives and job prospects overseas. Exploiting the vulnerability of these individuals, scammers – sometimes with involvement of government officers – pose as legitimate travel agencies, luring unsuspecting victims into their traps.

According to immigration officer Mohamed Nur, the problem stems from the registration process of travel agencies, with some being co-owned by known government officials. Suspicions also extend to airport and police officials, who are suspected of benefiting from these fraudulent activities.

120 girls trafficked to Saudi

In a separate case involving human trafficking, A local TV station, Kaab TV’s investigation uncovered that on April 15, 120 teenage girls carrying Somali passports were trafficked from Aden Adde Airport in Mogadishu on the disguise of working as maids in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Prime Minister, Hamza Abdi Barre and Minister of Education traveled on the same flight as the 120 girls maids trafficked to Saudi Arabia on 15 April, 2023.

These girls boarded a Daallo plane destined for Saudi Arabia, while Prime Minister Hamse Abdi Barre and members of his cabinet were scheduled to travel to Umrah. Remarkably, the Prime Minister and his ministers traveled on the same flight, while the girls were among the first passengers to embark.

According to Waberi police officers who involve in the probe, the girls form part of a larger group of about 170 girls who had fallen victim to different amounts of money taken by five travel agencies in Mogadishu.

On April 24, the police summoned another 50 girls remaining for questioning at the Waberi police station in Mogadishu. A police officer isaid as quoted by Kaab TV that the girls underwent interrogation as part of the ongoing investigation.

Emerging evidence now suggests an ongoing scrutiny in the involvement of security officers at the Aden Adde Airport in the trafficking of the girls.

According to a police source, the companies engaged in trafficking paid a bribe of $18,000, equivalent to $150 per girl, to the airport security team consisting of police and intelligence officers at the airport. The trafficking of 120 girls occurred following the Ministry of Labour’s ban on transporting Somali maids to Saudi Arabia, announced in November 2022 due to concerns of human rights abuses.

In another alarming development, between February and March of this year, Nairobi police intercepted over 40 Somali passport holders attempting to board a flight to Brazil. Sources at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport revealed that Brazil and Mexico have become new routes for human traffickers smuggling migrants into the United States. Some of those apprehended possessed Somali government service passports, highlighting the complexity of the problem.