Bollywood star involved in Dubai airport row

A Bollywood actress has said she will take action after having her passport confiscated during an immigration dispute at Dubai International Airport, it has been reported.

Minissha Lamba was threatened with deportation after a confrontation with an immigration officer on arrival in the Gulf state, Indian media reported.

“Since I didn't remember my hotel-booking reference details, I asked an individual waiting for me outside the airport for the details. When I tried showing the details on my phone, the officer blew his top off and started to yell,” Lamba told reporters in India.

The actress alleges her passport was taken, that she was told to “shut up and sit [down],” and was threatened with deportation, media reported.

“When I return to Mumbai I will take this matter up with the authorities,” she said.

Lamba previously made headlines in the UAE in February, when it emerged fraudsters had used her name to extort more than AED9m ($2.45m) from investors as part of a property scam.

At least 12 investors, including Emirati businessman Ahmad Al Falasi, are locked in a legal battle with Stallion Properties, who they say convinced them to buy real estate in Ras Al Khaimah after falsely capitalising on the names of Lamba and Hollywood actress Tara Reid.

“It’s a really sad state of affairs to dupe people like this,” Delhi-based Lamba told Arabian Business in February.

The AED1.2bn Greek-style Santorini island resort, located off the emirate, was due to be finished in 2011. At the project’s 2008 launch, it was described as “luxurious villas, townhouses and condos in an enviable location just off the northern tip of the United Arab Emirates.”

The victims claim they paid more than AED9m for units on the development and were swayed by claims the high profile female stars would be potential neighbours.