In Gabon, 22 members of Karnataka’s Hakkipikki tribal community from Davanagere district faced legal trouble due to a government crackdown on undocumented immigrants. They were accused of holding fraudulent residency certificates, fined ₹57,000, and ordered to leave the country. The issue arose when authorities in Libreville, Gabon’s capital, carried out raids targeting individuals with fake documents.

 Davangere District Tribal Officer Naveen Mathad explained that the Hakkipikki community has a long tradition of travelling abroad to sell tribal products like herbal hair oils and Ayurvedic medicines. “Actually, 22 people, who are all from a tribal community called Hakkipikki community, used to go to Africa and other countries to sell tribal products such as hair oil, Ayurveda medicines, etc. This year, they went to Gabon, a central African country, around two or three months ago,” Mathad described.

The situation worsened when Gabonese authorities increased their crackdown on foreign nationals after a change in government. Reports indicate that the new military-led administration has imposed stricter rules on undocumented immigrants. During verification, officials found that a local visa agent had issued fake business visas and residency certificates to several individuals, including 22 members of the Hakkipikki community.

Mathad stated that after obtaining their visas, the Hakkipikki individuals were given fake residency certificates by a local agent in Gabon. During official inspections after the military takeover, authorities uncovered that the agent had misled foreign nationals by issuing counterfeit documents. It was later found that around 450 people were affected, including 22 tribal members, nine from Davanagere district and 13 from Shivamogga district.

Authorities arrested the agent who had forged the documents, while the detained individuals claimed they were deceived. Although the charges were serious, negotiations resulted in a reduced penalty. Mathad explained that “initially, Central African officials demanded a penalty of Rs 2 lakh for their release, which was later reduced to Rs 57,000 in Indian currency to facilitate their release and clearance to leave the country.” After this, the detainees were allowed to contact their families in India to arrange the required funds for their release.

When the news reached Karnataka, the families of the detained individuals rushed to arrange the necessary funds. With help from their community, they managed to secure the money, enabling their return journey.

Mathad assured the community that the detained individuals were safe. He mentioned, “All of them are safe and we have tried to speak to the council, and we are in continuous touch with the tribals who have gone to Gabon.” “Yesterday we got a message that all of them are safely returning back from Gabon to Turkey, then from there to Mumbai in the morning. They will reach their own districts the day after,” Mathad said.

The incident highlighted the risks faced by tribal communities who go abroad for work. Many called on authorities to improve awareness and support systems to prevent similar situations in the future. “By the time this issue came to our attention, they had already booked the tickets. We have already informed our higher officials. After they are back, we will see how we can help them,” Mathad confirmed.