Based on complaints of US deportees, Punjab Police make first arrest; nab travel agent in Patiala
The first arrest in the illegal immigration network involving travel agents using fraudulent means to send youth to the United States of America was made by the NRI Affairs wing of the Punjab Police on Friday evening.
On February 7, the Punjab Police had constituted a four-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) to look into the issue of human trafficking and illegal migration in the wake of deportation of 104 Indians, including 30 Punjabis, from the United States.
On the complaint of Gurwinder Singh, a deportee from the US who landed in the Amritsar airport on February 8, the NRI Affairs wing of the Punjab Police have arrested travel agent Anil Batra.
He is one of the four prime accused involved in the illegal immigration network identified by the SIT, based on complaints by the recently deported people.
Working on the directions of the four-member SIT, headed by ADGP, NRI Affairs, Praveen Sinha, the arrest was made by a team led by Inspector Abhey Singh Chauhan, SHO, NRI police station, Patiala, under the supervision of SP, NRI Affairs, Patiala, Gurbans Singh Bains.
“Anil Batra, a resident of Shanti Nagar, Teka Market, Thanesar, Kurukshetra, Haryana, was apprehended from his in-laws’ residence in Patiala (5-E Partap Nagar). He is charged in FIR No. 6, dated February 8, 2025, under Sections 406, 420, 370 and 120-B of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Section 24 of the Emigration Act,” said an official.
Batra is accused of facilitating illegal immigration by arranging a Suriname visa and ticket for the complainant. “Once in Suriname, Gurwinder Singh travelled over land to other countries in South America, such as Brazil or Colombia, where he crossed into Central America. In Central America he travelled through countries such as Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala, and Mexico. Here, he crossed into the US illegally with the help of traffickers and smugglers. On February 14, Anil Batra’s bank account with a balance of Rs 6.35 lakh was freezed,” the said police.
He has been sent to police remand for three days.
Parveen Sinha, ADGP, NRI, heads this fact-finding committee while other members include ADGP, Internal Security, Shive Verma; IGP, Provisioning, S Boopathi; and DIG, Border Range, Satinder Singh. The SIT was formed after several cases of immigration fraud were reported in Punjab. The committee has been tasked with taking appropriate action as per law against any person involved in illegal migration or human trafficking.
