Deportation from US: 5 more FIRs registered against travel agents, 2 arrested

A special investigation team probing human trafficking cases has registered five FIRs against travel agents for allegedly facilitating illegal travel from Punjab to foreign countries and arrested two accused, officials said on Wednesday.

The FIRs were registered in multiple districts, including Tarn Taran, SAS Nagar, Moga and Sangrur on February 17 and 18. Two travel agents -- Angrej Singh and Jagjit Singh -- have been arrested by the Sangrur Police. This is in addition to the arrest made by Police Station NRI, Patiala, a few days ago.

With this, a total of 15 FIRs have been filed so far while the arrest count has reached three.

In three deportation flights that arrived in India since February 5, there are 126 Punjab residents among the 333 illegal Indian immigrants sent back from the US, followed by 110 from Haryana and 74 from Gujarat.

According to officials, the accused, operating through unauthorised networks, have been found charging hefty amounts from victims by promising safe and legal immigration routes, but have been exposing them to travel by 'dunki' routes in inhumane conditions, detention and eventual deportation.

One of the FIRs registered at Patti police station in Tarn Taran against an agent operating from Chandigarh and Yamunanagar stated that he fraudulently took Rs 44 lakh from a victim promising that he would facilitate immigration to the US legally but took him to that country through Nicaragua and Mexico.