Duped by agents, Kapurthala youth trapped in Colombia

Balwinder Singh (25) from Baja village in Kapurthala miraculously escaped from the clutches of a notorious Colombian gang after being held hostage in jungle camps for nearly five months.

Balwinder’s family said they paid Rs 28 lakh to four agents from Amritpur to send him to the US in 2024. However, the agents allegedly trafficked him through Mumbai and multiple countries, eventually handing him over to a Colombian gang.

Held captive along with four other youths from Punjab and Haryana, Balwinder was subjected to inhuman conditions. According to the family, three of the youths were tortured to death, with videos of the brutalities circulated to extort more money from their families.

The criminals reportedly suffocated victims using plastic bags, burned them with metal rods, poured melted plastic on them, and inflicted deep cuts using blades. Balwinder, who was confined nearby, heard the screams of those being tortured.

Balwinder managed to escape. He trekked nearly 600 km through dangerous terrain before reaching a Colombian city and contacted his family after five months of silence.

His mother Shinder Kaur said the family had sold their three-acre land and house to arrange funds for the journey. “His father is chronically ill but forced to work as a daily wager. We live in a rented accommodation. We just want Balwinder home safely.”

The family approached Rajya Sabha MP Balbir Singh Seechewal, currently in Canada, who escalated the matter to the Ministry of External Affairs and contacted the Indian Embassy in Colombia for Balwinder’s safe repatriation.

A formal complaint has also been submitted to the Kapurthala SSP against the four agents.

Balwinder had left India on July 18, 2024, lured by the promise of a better future in the US — a dream that turned into a nightmare in the jungles of Colombia.