Punjab Police crack down on fraudulent ‘immigration consultants’

Amritsar: Police personnel take deported immigrants for initial questioning after a US military aircraft carrying them landed at the Shri Guru Ramdas Ji International Airport, in Amritsar, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025.
| Photo Credit: PTI

Days after the deportation of illegal Indian immigrants from the U.S., the Punjab Police cracked down on fraudulent ‘immigration consultants’ and ‘travel agents’, with the aim to dismantle the multinational human trafficking nexus operating in the region.

So far, eight First Information Reports (FIRs) against travel agents have been registered, including two by the district police and six by the NRI (Non-Resident Indians) Affairs Wing of the Punjab Police, based on statements by deportees.

The police action has come after complaints from victims. The Punjab Police has recorded statements against the travel agents who defrauded them with false promises of entry into the United States, an official statement said.

Last week, a Special Investigation Team (SIT) was set up by the Punjab Police to probe illegal human trafficking and illegal emigration after the deportation of 104 migrants from the U.S. to land in Amritsar.

The SIT headed by Praveen Sinha, Additional Director General of Police, NRI Affairs, is monitoring the investigation. “Senior police officials have personally met the returnees to address their grievances and assure them of due process of law. Commissioners of Police and Senior Superintendents of Police from various districts and Commissionerates are working in coordination with the SIT to bring these offenders to justice,” the statement said.

Of the 104 illegal immigrants who arrived in Amritsar on February 5 onboard a U.S. military plane, 33 each were from Haryana and Gujarat; 30 were from Punjab; three each were from Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh, and two persons were from Chandigarh.