India News | Punjab Police Arrests 'fraudulent' Travel Agent from Patiala
Get latest articles and stories on India at LatestLY. Amidst the ongoing crackdown on fraudulent immigration consultants, the Punjab Police's NRI affairs wing on Saturday arrested a travel agent from Patiala.
Chandigarh, Feb 15 (PTI) Amidst the ongoing crackdown on fraudulent immigration consultants, the Punjab Police's NRI affairs wing on Saturday arrested a travel agent from Patiala.
Police said the accused has been identified as Anil Batra, who allegedly facilitated the illegal immigration process for one of the recent US deportees. The action was taken based on an FIR registered by one of the victims.
A US military aircraft carrying 104 Indian deportees landed at the Amritsar airport On February 5. A second US flight carrying 119 illegal Indian immigrants is slated to land in Amritsar tonight.
In total, 10 FIRs have been registered against travel agents who allegedly deceived people with false promises of facilitating their entry into the United States.
Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav formed a four-member Special Investigation Team, headed by Additional DGP (NRI Affairs) Praveen Sinha, to probe the complaints of victims.
The SIT has been exhorting the deported individuals to come forth and assist in ensuring that those violating the laws are dealt with sternly.
Batra was arrested by a team led by Inspector Abhey Singh Chauhan, the SHO of NRI Patiala Police Station, under the supervision of NRI Affairs (Patiala) SP Gurbans Singh Bains, an official statement said.
Batra, a resident of Shanti Nagar in Kurukshetra, apprehended from his in-laws' residence in Patiala.
He has been booked under the Emigration Act and under other provisions of law in an FIR registered on February 8.
Batra is accused of facilitating the illegal immigration process of the complainant by arranging a visa and ticket to Suriname.
Once in Suriname, the victim travelled overland to other countries in South America, including Brazil or Colombia, where he crossed into Central America.
In Central America, he travelled through countries, including Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala, and Mexico, to finally reach the United States of America (USA) illegally, with the help of traffickers and smugglers, the statement said.
Anil Batra's bank account was frozen on February 14 with a balance of Rs 6.35 lakhs.
DGP Gaurav Yadav urged the public to come forward with any information that could assist in apprehending those who have been booked.
The DGP also advised citizens to only approach licensed agents for immigration services and verify their credentials thoroughly to avoid falling prey to scams.
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)