PANAJI
Goa’s first charter flight of the season from Russia arrived on Wednesday carrying tourists — and departed with a Russian national who had overstayed in India for years and was awaiting deportation.
Officials told The Goan that the Russian national arrived in India on a tourist visa in 2020 but continued to stay in Goa after it expired. The Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO), Goa, subsequently detected him allegedly living illegally in Mandrem.
He was handed over to the local police and booked for the offence. A local court later convicted him and ordered his deportation.
Following the court order, the FRRO restricted his movement and kept him under watch pending deportation. On Wednesday, the agency facilitated his return to Russia on the first charter flight to Goa from the country this season.
The deportation comes days after a Japanese national, who had also arrived in Goa in 2020 and remained in the State for years, was deported after being convicted for overstaying.
The Japanese national had earlier visited India in 2018 and 2019 and exited legally on both occasions. His third visit, however, turned into a prolonged stay after he remained in India even after his travel documents expired. He was eventually detected by the FRRO, detained, convicted for overstaying and deported last Thursday.
Between January 1, 2020, and December 31, 2025, the FRRO Goa deported or facilitated the exit of 340 foreigners, including 16 minors. Enforcement has continued this year, with more than 60 foreigners already deported and another 100 issued exit permits, according to official data.
