Ludhiana man returns home after year-long detention in Mauritius jail

A resident of Ludhiana, who recently returned from a jail in Mauritius, has alleged that travel agents are running a large-scale human trafficking racket under the guise of tourist travel.

Speaking at Sultanpur Lodhi, where he arrived with his family to thank Rajya Sabha member Balbir Singh Seechewal, Jaswinder Singh said innocent Punjabis are being trapped and exploited abroad by unscrupulous travel agents.

He explained that he had travelled to Mauritius on a tourist visa in January 2025, where a visa is issued upon arrival at the airport. According to him, travel agents exploit this facility to lure people overseas.

Jaswinder said travel agents specifically target tourists. The strong desire among many Punjabis to settle abroad often makes them vulnerable to fraud.

Language barriers and a lack of knowledge about foreign countries provide travel agents with an opportunity to deceive and exploit them. Since employment is not permitted on a tourist visa, agents take advantage of individuals who overstay and use fear and intimidation to control them.

Upon arrival, the company management confiscated his passport. The travel agent repeatedly assured him that his tourist visa would be converted into a work visa.

As long as the company had work available, he was employed; however, once the work ended, he was dismissed.

The company then refused to return his passport, leaving him undocumented and in an overstayer status. During this period, local police detained him, and he lost contact with his family for nearly 15 to 20 days.

According to available information, the company retained his passport throughout his employment and kept extending his tourist visa for six months while making him work 14-hour shifts daily. He was also denied one month's salary, amounting to approximately Rs 30,000.

After learning about his difficult situation, Jaswinder’s family contacted Seechewal on May 24, who immediately took up the matter, wrote to the Ministry of External Affairs and continuously pursued the case.

Due to Seechewal's prompt intervention and persistent efforts, the Indian Embassy acted swiftly and secured Jaswinder’s release from detention.

The embassy also facilitated the return of his passport and ensured his safe return to India within a week.

After returning home, Jaswinder said that without timely assistance, it would have been extremely difficult for him to return to India. He stated that he had been subjected to continuous exploitation and was left helpless for many days without his passport, with no one available to support or assist him.