Kapurthala man lands in US detention centre, 5 booked

KAPURTHALA: Police on Saturday booked five travel agents and arrested one of them for allegedly sending a 21-year-old Kapurthala-based youth to the USA illegally.

Police said the victim, Tarlok Singh, has been stuck at an immigrant detention centre near the USA border for the past six months. The accused have been identified as Jass of Raipur Araian, Sodhi of Akbarpur village, Gugu of Akbarpur, Kulwinder Singh and his sister-in-law, of Dasuya, Hoshiarpur. In his complaint, victim’s father, Sukhdev Singh of Dhayalpur village, stated that he had paid ₹25 lakh to the travel agents, who had assured to send his son Tarlok to the USA via Mexico.

Sukhdev said in July 2018, his son was detained at the immigrant detention centre near the US border while trying to enter the country via Mexico illegally. “The agents demanded ₹17 lakh for filling a bond and to get my son released from there.

Though I had paid them the amount in January yet the agents did not deposit the money and my son is still stuck there,” he added.

DSP Bholath Davinder Singh said a case under Sections 420 (cheating), 370 (exploitation) of the IPC and Section 13 of the Punjab Prevention of Human Smuggling Act, 2012, has been registered against the accused while Sodhi was arrested on Saturday.