Jalandhar: The ones who returned from Libya in body bags

Tribune News Service

Aparna Banerji

Jalandhar, October 27

The story of Tony, the man who lost his life in his search for greener pastures, serves as a cautionary tale for those desperate to move abroad through means fair or foul.

While 17 lucky illegal migrants who had been stuck in Libyan jails returned home on August 20, Tony — a resident of Bhukhari village near Dera Bassi — did not make it back: His body reached India on September 7.

The troubles Tony went through provide a harrowing insight about the hardships Indian migrants face due to fraudulent agents and adopting illegal routes to go abroad in search of greener pastures.

Tony, in fact, is just one of several young men who have lost their lives in their quest for a bigger income and a more comfortable life abroad. The 22-year-old Tony, a Class XII passout, was one of the eight men sent abroad illegally by Madan Lal, an agent based in Tewa, Kurukshetra.

Tony’s maternal uncle Brijmohan Lal said the young man was a victim of deception as he had no clue what he would go through — he thought he was going to get a job in Europe but ended up in a prison in Libya.

“My nephew was taken in by the promises made by Madan Lal,” said Brijmohan. “He was stuck at Benghazi in Libya. We began receiving phone calls from a shelter where he was supposedly staying. We paid approximately Rs 12 lakh to agents so that Tony could be safe.”

Tony reportedly jumped — or was pushed, his family fears — from a high-rise building during a late-night police raid at the shelter he was staying in, his family was informed. Brijmohan also said that another youth sent by Madan Lal through the illegal ‘Donkey Route’ via Serbia six months ago had been killed there.

Gurpreet Singh from Bhogpur landed in Dubai on January 23 with the hope of securing a job. “After landing in Dubai, we were taken to an airport which looked like a cattle house,” said Gurpreet. He was able to make good his escape from Libya due to the efforts of MP Vikramjit Singh Sahney.

A cautionary tale

The story of Tony, a resident of Bhukhari village near Dera Bassi, serves as a cautionary tale for those desperate to move abroad through means fair or foul.

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