Same name, different lives: How a police verification glitch stranded a Kerala man bound for Dubai

Kanhangad: A 38-year-old man from Kanhangad has alleged that a passport verification error prevented him from travelling to Dubai twice, dashing his hopes of clearing debts and supporting his family.

Sreenivasan, a native of Arayi in Kanhangad, was stopped at Mumbai airport on January 15 after immigration officials flagged an adverse police report linked to his passport. He said he was handed a notice stating he could not travel abroad and was sent back without a clear explanation.

The issue, he later discovered, stemmed from a police verification mix-up involving another man with the same name living about a kilometre away.

Both men are named Sreenivasan, both have fathers named Kunjikannan, and both reside in Arayi. However, their house names differ — Sreenivasan’s residence is Kolathingaal House, while the other man’s house is Tarambayil.

According to Sreenivasan, a land dispute case registered against the other individual was mistakenly included in his passport police verification report.

The error surfaced only when he attempted to leave for Dubai, where he had secured employment. He said his plan was to repay debts and provide for his wife, two children and elderly mother.

Following the first cancellation, Sreenivasan lost the ₹27,000 paid for his flight ticket. He approached the Hosdurg police station to rectify the error, obtained a revised verification report and contacted the Regional Passport Office to update the records.

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After completing the process, he purchased another ticket for ₹20,000 and scheduled his journey via Kannur International Airport on February 20.

However, during immigration clearance at Kannur airport, officials again flagged his passport, stating that the adverse entry remained in the system. He was unable to board the flight and returned home.

Sreenivasan later learnt that despite submitting corrected documents, the changes had not been updated in the passport office database.

His Dubai work visa remains valid until March 7. Sreenivasan said he fears losing the job opportunity if the issue is not resolved before the visa expires.