Ticket to nowhere

Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij’s recent statement in the Assembly regarding the arrest of 591 persons on the charges of sending people abroad by dubious means shows that the underlying racket of fraudsters is flourishing, despite Punjab and Haryana governments having, over the years, strengthened the laws dealing with the abhorrent practice. It belies the governments’ claims of tightening the noose around unregistered agents ever since the 1996 Malta boat tragedy put the spotlight on them. Rather, they have mushroomed all over the region. Complaints by gullible people falling prey to their machinations continue to swell. Not only are the victims — mostly youth looking for greener pastures abroad — left to see their ‘foreign dreams’ go sour but they also, at times, suffer bankruptcy as they are duped of lakhs of rupees. The scale of operations of the racketeers is horrifying: the Mohali police alone receive an average of five such plaints daily.

While the prosecution of the travel and immigration firms accused of fraud is important, it is a long-winding process and provides little relief to the victims, who, sensitively poised on the threshold of their careers, may be pushed to the brink. The authorities must brainstorm and devise ways to creating a foolproof system in which only registered firms run the business and there is no place for fraudsters.

The common man is generally unaware of the lists of erring agents and firms prosecuted by the authorities. These should be circulated widely through various media to make people aware of the pitfalls of going to shady and fly-by-night operators. No agent should be allowed to function without displaying prominently his licence, authorising his credentials. It will also deter cheats who do the disappearing act when they feel the law enforcers’ heat. Certain agencies facing FIRs continue to function during the pendency of the long-drawn-out cases, exposing more vulnerable people to the risk of being duped. The interest of protecting the prospective NRIs and ensuring that no one is taken for a ride must override the business concerns of the accused parties.

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