Balachaur man feared drowned in Greece: Cops fail to arrest travel agent

BALACHAUR (SBS NAGAR): A month after a man reportedly drowned in river while trying to enter Greece illegally, Balachaur police have failed to arrest the three against whom a case was registered in this regard on July 30.

Manjinder Kumar, 26, of Majhot in Balachaur is believed to have drowned on July 18.

His family came to know about their son’s death on July 30 after a man, who accompanied Manjinder and witnessed the incident, called the family.

A case was registered against travel agent Rakesh Kumar, his wife Bholi and one unidentified person under the Punjab Prevention of Human Trafficking Act, 2012, Section 24 of the Immigration Act, 1983, and under Sections 420 and 406 of the IPC.

Victim’s father Tarsem Lal said, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has rejected Bholi’s anticipatory bail and she visited her residence but the police have not arrested her.

District administration wrote to the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, CPV (Consular, Passport, Visa) secretary to verify the incident.

Balachaur DSP Raj Pal Singh said they are conducting raids to arrest Bholi.

Manjinder had boarded a flight from Delhi on June 19 after travel agent Rakesh Kumar assured to send him to Greece for ₹5.50 lakh.

Lal said he paid ₹1.50 lakh as advance to Bholi along with passport. Later, Rakesh called Manjinder and asked him to collect his passport with Greece visa from his accomplice in Delhi after making a payment of ₹2.50 lakh to him on the airport.

“The passport had Turkey’s visa instead of Greece. My son called me on July 21 and said the agent is putting pressure on him to cross the border illegally. On July 19, Rakesh called me and said my son had gone missing and later I received a phone call from another man saying that Manjinder had died in an accident while crossing a river,” said Lal.