Gang of illegal travel agents busted, 2 held

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, September 19

In a major operation, the city police busted a network of illegal travel agents, who were preying on unsuspecting residents, promising them journeys to European countries and the United States, while siphoning off lakhs.

The crackdown, led by officials from the Navi Baradari police station, was initiated on a tip-off indicating the presence of three unlicensed travel agents doing illicit dealings at a private hotel.

Acting swiftly on the basis of the information, the police conducted a raid at the specified location, resulting in the detention of two individuals, identified as Vishal, a resident of Hoshiarpur, and Karanbir Singh, hailing from Reru Chowk in Jalandhar.

Both suspects have been charged under Section 420 of the IPC and Section 13 of the PTPR Act. A sum of Rs 38.86 lakh in cash was recovered from their possession during the operation.

Aditya, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police II, said these agents used deceptive tactics for luring unsuspecting victims with promises of journey to European countries and the United States via routes going through Spain, Kazakhstan and Mexico. The victims were enticed with tantalising visions of foreign lands only to be swindled.

“The arrested individuals are scheduled for a court appearance tomorrow. Following their arraignment and after securing police custody for interrogation, we aim to uncover the full extent of their illicit activities. This will include identifying additional victims, who fell prey to their schemes, and ascertaining any potential accomplices within the gang,” he said.

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