Former Punjab kabaddi player held for running immigration racket   

A 42-year-old former national kabaddi player has been arrested by the IGI Airport police for allegedly orchestrating an illegal immigration racket, an official said on Tuesday.

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Mandeep Singh, a resident of Talwandi Chaudhrian village in Punjab’s Kapurthala, was facilitating unauthorised journeys to the United States through fraudulent means, said the officer.

"The case came to light when Maninder Pal Singh, a 20-year-old deportee from Jalandhar, was apprehended at IGI Airport on December 14 for tampering with his passport. Initial scrutiny revealed missing pages containing fake visas and immigration stamps, pointing to a scam," said the officer.

Maninder said Mandeep had assured him of reaching the United States through illegal routes for a sum of Rs 41 lakh. The journey, arranged via Kazakhstan, Dubai, Senegal, Libya, Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala and Mexico, involved forged documents to cover up illegal stays.

Following Mandeep's instructions, Maninder removed the tampered passport pages, but US authorities detected the fraud, leading to his deportation.

Police said Mandeep had been running the racket under the guise of an IELTS coaching centre in Kapurthala. Despite his position as a physical training teacher in a government school, he actively engaged in immigration fraud to earn quick money.

"A team was formed and Mandeep was apprehended from Moga. A licensed pistol was recovered from his possession. During interrogation, he confessed to his involvement," said the officer.

Mandeep, once a national kabaddi player and a handball player during his school years, pursued higher education and secured a teaching position. However, lured by the promise of quick money, he exploited his network, police said.