Deported without a passport, Indian-origin woman stranded at Doha airport for 15 days

New Delhi: The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) is considering granting an emergency travel document to a 50-year-old Turkish citizen of Indian origin who has been stranded at Qatar's Hamad International Airport in Doha for the past 15 days after being deported from Türkiye without her passport.

Nazneen Mohammed, originally from Maharashtra, has appealed to the Embassy of India in Doha for humanitarian assistance. Although she holds a valid Qatar residence permit (Qatar ID), Qatari authorities have not allowed her to enter the country because she does not possess a valid passport or travel document.

Mohammed, a former Indian passport holder, had voluntarily renounced her Indian citizenship and acquired Turkish citizenship. Her husband, Imtiyaz Malik, who works for Qatar Airways, also gave up his Indian citizenship and is now a Turkish national. The couple, married since 2002, have been living in Doha and have three sons, one of whom is an Indian citizen.

According to officials, the Embassy of India in Doha has taken up her case with the MEA, citing humanitarian grounds. Mohammed has reportedly undergone recent stomach surgery and suffers from high blood pressure, thyroid disorder and diabetes. She is also the mother of two minor children in Doha, including an autistic child who requires constant care and medical therapy. Their younger son, a Grade 12 student, has also been affected by the prolonged separation from his parents.

The MEA is understood to have considered issuing her an Emergency Certificate, subject to the fulfilment of certain formalities, which would enable her to travel to India.

The family's ordeal reportedly stems from a property investment made in Türkiye in 2022. The couple claims they legally purchased a property through authorised banking channels. However, they later discovered that the project was linked to an alleged fraud. The developer was arrested by Turkish authorities, and the property was subsequently seized by the government.

Seeking to resolve the matter, Mohammed and her husband travelled to Türkiye on June 16 and engaged a lawyer to present their documents before the authorities. However, upon arriving in Istanbul, both were reportedly detained and their passports confiscated without explanation.

Officials said the couple were separated and taken to different detention facilities. While Malik remains in detention in Türkiye, Mohammed was deported to Doha on June 17 without her passport. She was permitted to board the flight because she held a valid Qatar residence permit.

Since landing in Doha, however, she has remained stranded inside Hamad International Airport as she is unable to clear immigration without a valid passport or recognised travel document. The Indian Embassy is now working with the MEA to facilitate her return to India on humanitarian grounds.

(ANI)