Harrowing passage to US and back, Jaspal stares at Rs 35L debt

Life has come to nought for Gurdaspur resident Jaspal Singh, whose journey to the “land of dreams” and back has been nothing short of harrowing — having to traverse the treacherous “Dunki” route, only to be sent back in a flight, shackled, with a mountain of debt to repay.

Jaspal, 36, who was deported after being caught by the US Customs and Border Protection agency for entering the country illegally, arrived home last night even as his family wondered how they would repay the Rs 35 lakh they had taken at an exorbitant rate of interest (36%) from a private money lender to send him abroad. For Jaspal’s mother, it was a relief to see her son back. At the same time, she was worried about her debt-ridden family’s future.

Jaspal recalled entering the US on January 24 after an arduous journey through the jungles of Panama. He was captured the same day by the agency officials and taken to a detention centre. Later, he was handcuffed and brought to the airport from where he was made to board the Amritsar-bound plane. On board, Jaspal said they were given some biscuits, bananas, potato wafers and soft drinks.

Jaspal was sent to the UK by a travel agent two years ago, with the promise of taking him to the US. This, however, never happened. In July last year, Jaspal made it to Panama and stayed in a city for six months. In January, he traversed the Panama rainforest along with other Punjabi youths. Jaspal lost his father while he was away. “It is the greatest loss. It is good to be home, but how will I repay the debt. And who will bring back my father?” he lamented.