Another woman associate of travel agent arrested

The agent had called the victim to Dubai and taken her to a Sheikh, who did not provide her any employment and also took her passport and mobile in possession

AMRITSAR: A day after the arrest of Gurjit Kaur, the conduit, who allegedly allured 19-year-old Simranjit Kaur of Pandoori Gola village in Tarn Taran district into the net of a travel agent, the police on Monday nabbed her daughter Jobanjit Kaur, alias Mahi, who the police claimed had gone to Dubai for 3-4 times and was a close associate of the travel agent.

Addressing a press conference here, inspector general (IG) of police (border range) Surinder Pal Singh Parmar said Jobanjit was arrested following Gurjit’s interrogation.

He said a lookout circular has also been issued against the agent, Ibrahim Palam, of Kerala, who is now in Dubai.

The agent called Simranjit to Dubai and took her to a Sheikh, who did not provide her any work and also took her passport and mobile phone, which made her suspicious. She called back home and after the intervention of external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj, she was rescued and sent back home on Sunday.

The IG said as per Simranjit’s complaint, there were two-three more girls sitting in the agent’s office when she reached Dubai on July 27. “She also said one of the three girls was crying and the agent was threatening her,” the IG said.

Meanwhile, the Tarn Taran police said rescued woman Simranjit’s maternal aunt (mother’s sister), Simranjit Kaur, 32, of Booh Havellian village, falling under Harike Pattan police station, had also planned to go to Dubai, but they made her to drop her plant to go there on Sunday evening. The police said, the woman, who is mother of three children, was scheduled to take a flight for Dubai on Monday at 3pm from Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport, Amritsar, but was dissuaded by them.

“Though I was informed by my sister (Simran’s mother) that her daughter was duped there, but the agent continued to give me an assurance for the job till Sunday. But I didn’t give a single penny to the agent, who was earlier demanding ₹25,000. On Sunday evening, police came to my place and informed me about the fraud committed by Ibrahim, after which I decided to drop my plan to go to the gulf country,” she said.

Jobanjit was arrested following her mother Gurjit’s interrogation. A lookout circular has also been issued against the agent, Ibrahim Palam, of Kerala, who is now in Dubai.

SURINDER PAL SINGH PARMAR , inspector general (IG) of police