Deportation row: Travel agent arrested in Haryana for facilitating undocumented travel to US
Sushil Kumar Walia, a retired Haryana police official, had alleged that his son, Jitesh Walia, was sent to the US by the travel agent Gurjant Singh through the dunki route. According to the complaint, Gurjant took Rs 40 lakh as fees from him.
Cracking down on the human trafficking networks behind rampant illegal immigration, Haryana Police has arrested a travel agent for allegedly sending a person to America illegally. Gurjant Singh, a travel agent based in Ambala, Haryana, was arrested on Tuesday based on a complaint filed by the father of one of the 104 illegal immigrants who was deported by the US recently.
CREDIT: AP
Complaint by former Haryana Police officer
Sushil Kumar Walia, a retired Haryana police official, had alleged that his son, Jitesh Walia, was sent to the US by Gurjant through the dunki route. According to the complaint, Gurjant took Rs 40 lakh, promising Jitesh safe travel to the US.
The 31-year-old left Delhi in May 2024 for Dubai, and after travelling through Kazakhstan, Ethiopia and the Netherlands, he came back to the Indian capital in September. Jitesh once again travelled to Dubai, from where he was sent to Suriname in South America. Over the next four months, Jitesh travelled from Suriname to Mexico by car, bus, on foot, and by boat. His journey ended on 18 January at the Mexico border, when he was caught by the US Border Patrol.
CREDIT: REUTERS
Jitesh, along with other illegal immigrants, was deported back to India days later.
More complaints against travel agents
According to reports, more complaints have been registered against travel agents who facilitated such illegal journeys. In Jind, Arsh Kohlon, a travel agent, has been booked on similar charges based on a complaint filed by another US deportee. The complainant, Suresh, claimed that his younger brother, Rohit, was sent to the US in November by the agent, who first took him to the UK. He was then taken to Spain, the Netherlands, Panama City, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Mexico. Rohit was caught by the US authorities on 22 January in California.
CREDIT: AP
Following the deportation row, the Haryana government had announced a crackdown on travel agents facilitating illegal immigration.
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Bobins Abraham is the Assistant News Editor at Indiatimes. He has more than twelve years of experience in TV and digital journalism. An avid student of history and geopolitics, he is a conservationist and environmentalist at heart. He writes on environment, sustainability, human-animal conflict and more.
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