Maharashtra man sold family's gold, two trucks for a life in Canada, only to get deported from US

All that Harpreet Laliya from Maharashtra's Nagpur wanted to do was earn better and start a new life in Canada. So when an 'immigration agent' promised to take him to Canada, where he could earn Rs 4 lakh a month driving a taxi, the 33-year-old felt it was a dream come true.

But that dream was shattered, and Laliya is now living the nightmare of losing the family's assets, being duped by the agent, and the horrors of deportation from the US.

CREDIT: AP

'Duped by agent'

He was one of the 104 Indians who were deported by the US on Tuesday for illegally entering the country. According to Laliya, he was lured by an agent from his mother's village of Gurdaspur, who promised to take him to Canada.

Laliya raised around Rs 50 lakh for what he thought would be a new life in Canada by selling the family gold, two trucks, and taking loans from friends and family.

'Sent back from Abu Dhabi'

"I had applied for a Canada visa. I started my journey from New Delhi on December 5, 2024. I had a connecting flight from Abu Dhabi the next day, but was not allowed to board, after which I returned to Delhi and stayed there for eight days. Then I was made to board a flight to Cairo in Egypt, from where I was supposed to go to Montreal in Canada via Spain," Laliya said.

Also read: Video shows handcuffed and chained illegal immigrants from India boarding deportation flight

Through the dunki route

After staying in Spain for four days, he was sent to Guatemala, from where he had to travel further to Nicaragua, Honduras, and Mexico until he reached the US border.

CREDIT: REUTERS

Laliya said he and others suffered many hardships, including walking a four-hour mountain trek in Mexico and then a gruelling 16-hour walk to the US border.

He was also "caught by the mafia in Mexico and held by them for 10 days."

But when they reached the US border, he was caught by the US Border Patrol and taken to a "welcome centre," from where he and others were put on a US aircraft after being handcuffed and having their legs chained and sent back to India.

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