Passports of 4 Punjab kids used in bid to traffic minors

Syed Ali Ahmed

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, December 28

On a complaint from the US Embassy, the CBI has registered a case of illegal trafficking of children from Punjab’s Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar (Nawanshahr). 

Among those booked are Gagan Gupta of Pathankot; Balraj Khera, the owner of KPS Travel and Kings Punjab Travels, Jalandhar; Chetan Sabharwal, the owner of M/s Click Education Services Private Limited, Chandigarh; Lovepreet Singh of Tarn Taran and Tilak Raj of Hoshiarpur.

The CBI said Gagan Gupta was allegedly trying to traffic four children under assumed identities and passports of students of St Joseph’s Convent — all in the 13-15 age group. The US Embassy said Gagan Gupta, who “misrepresented” herself as the principal, in August last year had tried to take the four children to the US, allegedly on assumed identities of four students.

During an inquiry, it was found that these visas were issued to children who were part of the school group that was to visit the US and that the trip was organised by Click Education Services whose agent had collected the passports of students and the school staff. The agent allegedly tried to send four of his clients on the passports of the students to whom the visas were issued.

Another case was registered on MEA complaint which said the Indian Embassy in Nairobi, Kenya, had rescued three young girls allegedly trafficked to Mombassa on the pretext of employment as dancers but were coerced into prostitution.