"My mother and brother arrived from India last Saturday at around 5.30am and had to stay at the Sharjah airport for 32 hours as the immigration officials said that my brother had been blacklisted by the Al Ain Residency and Naturalisation Department," said Liz Ann.

The 19-year-old man, who holds a valid Dubai residency visa, has never been to Al Ain, his sister insisted.

"My mother tried to explain to the immigration official at the airport that my brother had never been to Al Ain and he has never been issued any visa from Al Ain but they did not listen to her," Ann said.

She said that her mother tried to explain the situation to the unidentified immigration official, but the official allegedly refused to listen and help sort out the issue.

"My mother asked the officials at the airport to contact the [Al Ain Residency] department to find out the issue but they refused to help," Ann said.

Officials likewise seized the young man's passport and even prohibited them from taking their luggage.

"My mother told the immigration staff that they can keep her passport [as a security guarantee] till they sort out the issue but they also refused," Ann claimed.

After learning of the detention, the young man's father immediately went to the Al Ain Residency and Naturalisation Department to make the verification on the blacklisting himself.

It was learnt from the residency department's record that the young man's passport almost had the same serial number as the one who was blacklisted, except for one digit.

"My father was told that there is a blacklisted man with [an almost] similar passport number but one digit was different. It was a mistake from their end," Ann said.

She added that her father tried to call Sharjah airport authorities, but the officials allegedly refused to honour the information.

"They said they needed an official letter [from Al Ain Residency Department] so my father had to go back the following day [Sunday] to get the letter," Ann said.

Sharjah airport authorities however, released the mother and son from detention even without the official letter from the residency department.

"Immigration officers in Sharjah have been detaining lots of people for no reason. What's going on with the officials in Sharjah?" a dejected Ann said.

Another man claimed that he was also held at the Sharjah airport despite having a valid visa.

"They did not let me in because there was a drop of water on the side of my visa. They insisted that I should obtain a new one," the man claimed.

Immigration officials at the Sharjah airport denied the travellers' claims and refused to further comment on the incidents.