Many African domestics held in bogus maids office swoop – DNA tests project begins in Shamiya

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KUWAIT CITY, Aug 24: Officers from General Department for Residency Affairs arrested five Ethiopians, five Cameroonians, three Beninese and three Ghanaians from a phony domestic labor office in Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh area. In a press statement issued by Ministry of Interior, the Public Relations and Security Media Department explained that the General Department for Residency Affairs formed a team of officers for investigations after receiving information about a phony domestic labor office. During investigations, they discovered that the office was giving shelter to runaway domestic workers and violators of residency law. The officers took necessary legal measures and raided the office to arrest 16 African expatriates. None of them had any official documents and six of them were reported as absconding by their sponsors.

The suspects confessed that they do not work for their sponsors but they work in a number of houses on daily wages and manage to earn about KD 160 per month. They also admitted to indulging in immoral activities to earn money when there is no work in those houses. The suspects were referred to the concerned authorities for necessary legal action. The department revealed that the concerned authorities have summoned the sponsors who did not file an absconding case against their runaway domestic workers, adding that necessary action was taken against those sponsors and their names have been blacklisted so that they cannot bring anyone from overseas under their sponsorship or obtain visas.

DNA project underway: The Interior Ministry has embarked on its much anticipated project to conduct DNA tests on citizens and expatriates, reports Al- Rai daily. In this regard, the daily added, the first DNA center will be opened in Shamiya and later in the five other governorates. The daily also said the necessary equipment is being supplied to the Shamiya center which will also serve as a training center for technicians. The centers shall be provided necessary equipment to conduct the tests, reservation and storage, as well as personnel for the Forensic laboratories. The labs are expected to be equipped with the necessary technology by the end of September before the government embarks on its project to issue e-passports.

‘Pay fines & leave’: The General Traffic Department of the Ministry of Interior is studying a proposal to prevent expatriates and GCC citizens from leaving the country before paying traffic fines, if any, reports Al- Shahed daily. The proposal was submitted during a recent meeting between officials of the traffic departments in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain. The Ministry of Interior also plans to establish a link between these departments.

Visa officials probed: Assistant Undersecretary for Citizenship, Passports and Residence Affairs Department at the Ministry of Interior Major-General Mazen Al-Jarrah has referred 15 employees — male and female — working at the Residence Affairs Departments — in the six governorates for investigation, reports Al-Jarida daily. This came after the employees reportedly completed visa transactions for the Bangladeshis although the sponsors did not meet the conditions.

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