LUCKNOW A 54-year-old man from Nairobi (Kenya), who was living in Sector 9 Indira Nagar here for a long time without a valid visa and passport, was arrested by the police. He had travelled to India for higher studies in 1992 and continued to stay in Lucknow and Delhi despite expiry of his visa in 2005.
The man was booked under the Foreigners Act and Passport Act, said police. adding that the ministry of external affairs had been informed about it.
“A joint team of Ghazipur and Lucknow police on Thursday evening arrested Morris Okiye who was living in Sector 9 Indira Nagar for a long time. He did not possess a valid visa and passport,” said Abhijith R Shankar, DCP (north).
Okiye came to India on a study visa in 1992. “He did his B Com from Saket University in Ayodhya. Then in 1998, he went on to pursue M Com from Rohilkhand University in Bareilly, said the DCP.
As per the police, he also did a diploma course from ITI and had good command over Hindi language.
He was arrested in a fraud case and a case was registered in Varanasi’s Laxmi Nagar police station in 2002. Even after this, he was not deported. ACP (Ghazipur) Vikas Jaiswal said investigation revealed that the man lived in a rented house. During interrogation, it was revealed that Okiye came to Uttar Pradesh only for studies and never went back.
Investigation revealed that a case was registered against Morris Okiye in November 2002. He had allegedly committed a fraud in Varanasi along with his two accomplices. In 2002, he was also sentenced to four months’ jail. After his release, he did not go back.
“In Lucknow, he was working as an electrician and repaired television sets,” said Shankar. According to Ghazipur police, he was living on rent and a woman accused him of supplying drugs. A complaint was also made to the DCP and then the matter reached the Crime Branch. Subsequently, he was arrested and an investigation started. However, no allegations were proven yet, said police.
After Morris’s arrest, the lease agreement verification rule was being questioned. He was a foreign citizen and no investigation agency had any clue. The local police said investigation and action were taken after the matter came to light.