New Delhi: While India’s Union external affairs minister S Jaishankar has pledged action against travel agents involved in the recent deportation of 104 Indians from the United States, a pattern of inaction in past similar cases reveals a significant challenge, the reluctance of victims to file police reports. This reluctance highlights a complex web of fear, financial considerations, and a lack of trust in the legal system.
Following the incident Punjab government has formed an SIT, headed by Randhir Kumar-Ferozepur SP (investigation), Dalbir Singh Sidhu-Deputy Superintendent of Police, Patiala headquarters, Balkar Singh Sandhu-DSP Ferozepur (investigation) and, ACP Jasroop Kaur Baath Ludhiana (civil lines) Patiala headquarters, to investigate the case.
The December 2023 incident, involving a Nicaragua-bound flight carrying over 300 Indians, many from Punjab, illegally attempting to reach the US, illustrates this issue sharply. Despite the Punjab government forming a special investigation team (SIT), only two of the 150+ contacted passengers filed complaints.
SIT members attribute this reluctance to fears of losing potential reimbursements from travel agents and claims by some passengers of possessing genuine travel documents. “We have contacted more than 150 passengers but only two came forward. We even constituted teams at district levels to reach out to victims but most of them refused to register complaints,” an SIT member was quoted as saying on an anonymity basis by Hindustan Times.
Following two FIRs filed in Amritsar, travel agent Tarsem Singh was arrested and charged with duping victims with the promise of US entry via Nicaragua, a “donkey route.” One victim, Damanpreet, reported losses of Rs 42 lakh, Hindustan Times reported. The investigation into the mastermind, Guru Amrut Pal Singh (alias Pali), a suspected Canadian citizen, is also underway.
Gujarat Police’s criminal investigation department (CID) is similarly investigating the network, focusing on Pali’s alleged orchestration of the operation, estimated to be worth Rs 300-325 crore. Twelve agents, including five from Gujarat, have been arrested, but Pali remains at large, suspected to be hiding in West Asia.
“While 12 agents, including five from Gujarat, have been arrested, Pali remains at large. The Gujarat Police, which issued a lookout notice for him, suspect he is hiding in West Asia,” an investigating officer said.
The operation involved charging passengers Rs 70 lakh to over Rs 1 crore, depending on promises like guaranteed jobs and assistance in illegally crossing the US border. Agents assured safe passage to the US via the Mexico border after arriving in Nicaragua; however, French authorities thwarted the plan.
A senior police official revealed that this reluctance to report isn’t new. Since 2010, Punjab has seen over 1200 illegal deportees from various countries, with few filing complaints. Even when FIRs are registered, compromises between victims and accused often lead to stalled investigations.
“Someone may have been wanted for duping people from Gujarat but we don’t have any information in this regard. Regarding our probe, we have registered two FIRs and the main agent is behind the bars,” Punjab SIT head Randhir Kumar told HT.
