Punjab Cracks Down on Immigration Fraud, More Agents Booked. The Punjab Police’s Special Investigation Team (SIT) has intensified its crackdown on fraudulent immigration agents, bringing hope to victims who were deceived with false promises of reaching the US.
Led by ADGP NRI Affairs Praveen Sinha, the SIT has registered five new FIRs and arrested two more agents, taking the total number of cases to 15 and arrests to three.
The latest cases, reported in Tarn Taran, SAS Nagar, Moga, and Sangrur, highlight how desperate individuals were misled and financially drained in their pursuit of a better future. In Tarn Taran, an agent from Chandigarh and Yamuna Nagar allegedly tricked a victim into paying ₹44 lakh, promising legal immigration but instead sending him on a risky route through Nicaragua and Mexico.
Similarly, in SAS Nagar, two agents—Mukul and Gurjinder Antaal—charged ₹45 lakh from a hopeful traveler and routed him via Colombia and Mexico.In another distressing case, victims in Moga were lured by Sukhwinder Singh, Talwinder Singh, Pritam Kaur, and Gurpreet Singh of Ekam Travels, Chandigarh. They falsely promised a direct US work permit for ₹45 lakh.
Meanwhile, a visa and travel company run by Angrej Singh and Jagjit Singh from Haryana allegedly cheated a person out of ₹50 lakh in Sangrur. Another agent, Goldy, operating near IGI Airport in Delhi, was booked in Goindwal Sahib for conning a person into paying ₹45 lakh for a fraudulent US entry. Angrej Singh and Jagjit Singh have since been arrested by the Sangrur police.
The crackdown has also reached Amritsar, where the police registered an FIR against Haryana-based immigration agent Arsh Kahlon. The case was filed based on a complaint by 22-year-old Harpreet Singh from Chhota Ghanshampura village. Harpreet was among the 117 Indian immigrants who were deported from the US on a military flight that landed in Amritsar on February 15.
For many, these fraudulent agents represented a dream—a chance at a better life abroad. Instead, they found themselves trapped in dangerous journeys, losing their hard-earned money and hope. The police’s efforts offer a ray of justice, but the stories of these victims highlight the urgent need for stricter regulations to protect those seeking opportunities overseas.
