Daijiworld Media Network - Panaji

Panaji, Jun 30: A Russian national who featured in advertising campaigns with Bollywood stars Shah Rukh Khan and John Abraham, along with former Indian cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, was among 43 foreigners deported by the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) Goa this year for allegedly overstaying their visas.

The Russian national, whose identity has not been officially revealed, had entered India on a tourist visa on February 22, 2020. Like several foreigners affected by the Covid-19 pandemic and travel restrictions, he was allowed to remain in India after international movement came to a halt.

However, immigration officials said he allegedly failed to regularise his visa status even after travel restrictions eased and continued staying in the country illegally.

According to the FRRO investigation, the Russian travelled across India for commercial assignments before moving to Arambol in Goa, where he had been staying for a few weeks before being traced by immigration authorities. He was found to have overstayed by around 962 days and was deported on May 13.

While his case attracted attention due to his association with Indian advertising campaigns, officials said it was part of a wider crackdown on foreigners who had violated visa rules.

The longest overstay detected by the FRRO this year involved a Nigerian woman who had allegedly been staying illegally in India since 2011. She had lived in Delhi for several years before travelling to Goa, where she was traced by officials shortly after arrival.

She was detained and later deported on May 6 after an illegal stay of nearly 5,060 days, which is close to 14 years.

Superintendent of Police Braz Menezes, who is holding charge of FRRO Goa, said 43 foreigners who overstayed their visas have been deported since January.

The deported foreigners include 15 Russians, eight Bangladeshis, eight Ugandans, three Kenyans, two Nigerians, two Nepalese nationals, and one each from Iran, Belarus, Australia, Ukraine and Uzbekistan.

“A total of 23 men and 20 women who had overstayed their visas were deported during the first six months of this year. Besides, 14 more overstaying foreigners are currently lodged at the detention centre awaiting completion of deportation formalities,” Menezes told The Goan.

The deportation data showed several cases involving prolonged visa violations. Apart from the Nigerian woman’s nearly 14-year overstay, officials deported an Australian national who had overstayed by 1,724 days, Russians with overstays of 2,136, 1,904 and 1,595 days, an Uzbek national with 1,169 days and a Ugandan national with 1,033 days.

Several other foreigners were also found to have remained in India beyond their permitted visa period by more than two years.