Amritsar/Karnal: Police in Punjab and Haryana have registered cases against several travel agents for allegedly cheating families of illegal Indian immigrants who were recently deported by the Donald Trump administration.  

Many of those deported claim that they were deceived by travel agents who promised legal entry into the United States but instead took them through ‘dunki’ routes—dangerous and illegal migration pathways.  

Punjab police acts on complaint by deportee  

In Punjab, the Amritsar Rural Police have booked a travel agent named Satnam Singh, who allegedly defrauded Daler Singh, one of the 104 Indians deported by US authorities on Wednesday.  

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Charanjeet Singh confirmed the registration of an FIR.

“Daler Singh lodged a police complaint soon after he was deported from the US. He gave us some proof to support his complaint and those were found genuine upon verification. Following this, an FIR was lodged against Satnam Singh,” he said.  

Daler Singh, a 37-year-old driver from a village in Amritsar, shared his ordeal.

“I wanted to move to the US for a better future for my family. I borrowed money from relatives and friends and even mortgaged my farmland to pay the travel agent,” he said.  

He alleged that instead of legal travel arrangements, he was taken through multiple countries.

“I was taken to Dubai and then Brazil. From there, I was forced to take the ‘dunki’ route, which meant crossing treacherous jungles in Panama. It was a nightmare before I was finally arrested by US authorities on January 15,” he recounted.  

Daler also claimed he had paid Rs 60 lakh in instalments to the travel agent through a bank transfer, believing he would get a suitable job in the US.  

Haryana police register multiple cases  

In Haryana, police have registered FIRs against three travel agents on complaints from deportees and their families.  

In Karnal district, Shubham, a resident of Kalaram village, filed a complaint after his brother Aakash was deported.

“A travel agent from Jalandhar had promised to send Aakash to the US in a legal way after charging Rs 42.5 lakh. But he was deceived,” he alleged.  

Another case was registered on the complaint of another deportee, who alleged that a travel agent charged him Rs 40 lakh, promising legal migration, but instead sent him through a ‘dunki’ route.  

Breakdown of deportees by state 

Among the 104 illegal immigrants deported on Wednesday via a US military aircraft, the highest numbers were from Haryana and Gujarat.  

  • 33 deportees each were from Haryana and Gujarat  
  • 30 were from Punjab  
  • Three each from Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh 
  • Two from Chandigarh

PTI