23 SCHOOL STUDENTS FROM KAPURTHALA GO MISSING IN PARIS, CBI BOOKS 3 AGENTS

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has registered an FIR after 23 minors from two Kapurthala schools — who were illegally taken to France by three travel agents in February 2016 in the garb of giving them rugby coaching — went missing, agency officials said here on Friday.

The agency carried out searches on the premises of the travel agents — Faridabad-based Lalit David Dean and Delhibased Sanjeev Roy and Varun Choudhary —from where documents were seized, they said.

The officials alleged that the agents had charged ₹25-30 lakh from the parents of each of the minors for sending them abroad.

In their visa application, the agents had shown that the 25 children in the age group of 13-18 years were going to attend a rugby training camp in Paris, they said.

“A group of 25 students, shown as students of two Kapurthala-based schools, led by travel agents embarked on the Delhi airport for Paris to participate in a rugby training camp on the basis of alleged invitation received from the French Federation, Paris,” CBI spokesperson Abhishek Dayal said.

He said all of them visited Paris and, thereafter, the said 25 students also attended a rugby training camp there for about a week.

Dayal said in between, the travel agents cancelled their return tickets but before that,

3 TRAVEL AGENTS BOOKED; CBI SAYS THE ACCUSED TOOK ₹25 LAKH TO ₹30 LAKH FROM PARENTS TO SEND STUDENTS TO FRANCE ON THE PRETEXT OF RUGBY TRAINING

two children, anticipating something wrong, returned to India.

The minors, who were left behind were allegedly dumped in a gurdwara and went missing, CBI officials said.

One of them was arrested by the French police which referred the matter to the Interpol, they said.

After getting the information, the agency conducted a preliminary inquiry and registered an FIR, they said.

The officials said the CBI will soon contact the parents and also collect information if any missing person complaint was registered.