High-return job promise puts deportee’s family under debt

The family of 23-year-old Rohit is yet to come to terms with his deportation as they were already reeling under financial stress after raising a loan of Rs 45 lakh for a seemingly bright future of their son.

Rohit, a resident of Milwan village in Indora subdivision, today reached home after being deported from the US.

Indora SDM Surinder Thakur said naib tehsildar along with patwari had received the deportee around 3 am at the Amritsar airport. He was handed over to his mother Asha Rani in the afternoon. The CID and IB personnel recorded Rohit’s statement, who was part of the third batch of

112 deportees.

“Rohit is in a state of shock. He has not spoken to anyone and is confined to his room,” said his elder sister, adding that her elder brother was in Romania and her father, who used to run a tea stall at Milwan, died of cancer a few years ago.

Rohit’s mother Asha Rani said, “After constructing a house and marrying one daughter, the family came under debt. We raised a loan to the tune of Rs 45 lakh from two banks and took money from our relatives to send Rohit to the US. He came in contact with an Amritsar-based travel agent who demanded Rs 45 lakh for sending him to the US and promised a high-paying job.”

His mother said the agent had initially taken Rs 34 lakh in his bank account. In July last year, the agent asked Rohit to reach Amritsar and from there he sent him to Dubai. After a few months, the agent sent Rohit to Mexico, she revealed.

“After reaching Mexico, the agent called us up and took two instalments of Rs 4 lakh each in his bank account. As Rohit reached the US, the agent switched off his mobile phone,” she lamented.

The family alleged that contrary to the promise of a direct flight to the US, the agent sent him illegally through ‘donkey’ route.

According to information, Rohit was apprehended on February 11 and deported by the US authorities after two days. Asha Rani said the deportation had pushed the family into a debt trap. She appealed to the government to help her and also demanded stringent action against the travel agent who had cheated his son.