2 Punjab, Haryana youths killed on ‘dunki’ route to US

Two youths from Punjab and Haryana who set out for the US through the 'dunki' route in search of jobs have been killed by human traffickers in Guatemala after being held captive for ransom, the family members of the deceased have claimed.

The duo, Saheb Singh (21) of Moriya village near Dasuya in Hoshiarpur and Yuvraj Singh (18) of Mohna village in Kaithal, had started their journey in October last year.

Yuvraj’s family learnt of his death a few days ago when one of the "donkers" (those operating illegal migration routes) sent a death certificate and photos of him and Saheb, claiming both had been killed.

Yuvraj’s maternal uncle Gurpej Singh said three Haryana travel agents had taken large sums of money from the family, promising a safe journey through other contacts in their network.

Yuvraj, who had passed his Class XII examination, was eager to support his family and hoped to find a job once he reached the US. However, after the initial payment was made, the family lost contact with Yuvraj. A few months later, they received videos showing him and Saheb being held hostage in Guatemala, Gurpej said. Following this, the "donkers" raised ransom demands.

Yuvraj's family believes the money they routed through the Haryana-based agents to be paid to the other "donkers" did not reach its intended recipients. Recently, one of the “donkers” contacted the family, claiming Yuvraj had been killed and demanded Rs 3 lakh to provide proof of his claim. Once the money was sent, the trafficker sent a death certificate and photos, Gurpej said.

"Overall, the family paid anywhere between Rs 40 and Rs 50 lakh to the travel agents and the donkers," he said.

Saheb was the only son of his parents and sole brother to his two sisters. Like Yuvraj and others in his group, he too had left home with the dream of building a better future in the US. His father Sucha Singh sold his agricultural land, livestock and even his wife’s jewellery to pay Rs 45 lakh to travel agents.

A relative, Gurdeep Singh, said Saheb and a few others were caught by human traffickers in Guatemala. “They beat them up and sent videos demanding ransom. When the money couldn’t be arranged, they killed Saheb,” said Gurdeep.

Sucha said he sold all he had to send Saheb to the US. “We only wanted him to have a better life. Instead, we lost him forever,” he said.

The two families are now pleading for justice, demanding strict action against the agents who cheated them.