The Libyan authorities have deported around 200 Bangladeshi job seekers in the last few days, saying their work visas were fake, but the manpower bureau in Dhaka has rejected the allegation.

The deportation starting from May 22 to 26 prompted the authorities in Dhaka not to allow the job seekers to go to Libya for now.

“There could be over 190 job seekers deported. But I don't see any reason behind it (deportation) because their visas were issued by the Libyan embassy in Dhaka. We have even re-checked those,” said Begum Shamsunnahar, director general of the Bureau of Manpower Employment and Training (BMET).

She said, “When recruiting agencies submitted their passports with visas seeking emigration clearance from us, we sent a list of those visas to the Libyan embassy for cross-check. As the embassy okayed it, we issued clearance,” she said.

First Secretary (labour) of Bangladesh embassy in Tripoli Ahsan Kibria Siddiqui, contacted over the phone on Sunday, said the Libyan authorities claimed the visas were forged by syndicates outside the Libyan embassy in Dhaka.

Ahsan said he held meetings with officials of the Libyan High Security Commission and requested them to verify authenticity of the visas, but the commission chief said their findings were right.

Commission officials said syndicates both in Bangladesh and Libya are involved in forging visas, Ahsan mentioned.

He pointed out that the Libyan immigration arrested 76 Bangladeshi job seekers at Benghazi airport on April 24 on suspicion that they were carrying fake visas, but a day later handed them over to their employers.

Around 500 jobseekers are now seeking emigration clearance for going to Libya. The BMET is observing the situation in that country, and is not issuing clearance for now. About 2,500 workers have been sent there after the civil war.