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Dunki route ruined us’: Wife of deported man demands action against agent

Says husband endured 10-month ordeal, left family with Rs 42 lakh debt

The travel agent responsible for their ordeal is from their own village and a distant relative. (REpresentational Image)

Kuljinder Kaur, wife of 40-year-old Harwinder Singh from Thalia village in Punjab’s Hoshiarpur district, has spoken out against the deceitful travel agent who lured her husband with false promises of a safe and quick journey to the United States. Instead, Harwinder was forced into the treacherous ‘Dunki route,’ enduring a harrowing 10-month journey that left the family drowning in a Rs 42 lakh debt.

Kuljinder said poverty had driven her husband to seek a better future abroad, but he never intended to take an illegal route. The agent had assured them that Harwinder would reach the US in just 15 days, demanding an exorbitant Rs 42 lakh for the process. To gather the sum, the family mortgaged their only acre of land and borrowed heavily from private lenders at steep interest rates.

“For 10 months, my husband was shuffled between countries,” Kuljinder said, her voice trembling. “He was taken to Brazil for about a month and a half, then moved through several other countries, including China. He was passed from one place to another like a pawn in a game. He never made it to the US.”

Also Read | As ‘illegal’ immigrants from US land in India today, Punjab consultants call for action against travel agents behind ‘dunki’ routes

Harwinder endured life-threatening conditions, crossing dense jungles, treacherous rivers, and dangerous seas. Despite the hardships, he documented his ordeal, sending videos to Kuljinder whenever possible. She last spoke to him on January 15, the day he was preparing to cross into the US from Mexico.

Harwinder had left home in April last year and remained in contact with his family until mid-January. The news of his deportation came as a shock to Kuljinder, who learned of it only when villagers informed her that he was among the 104 deportees sent back from the US on Wednesday.

The travel agent responsible for their ordeal is from their own village and a distant relative. Kuljinder said they had already filed a complaint against him with the village panchayat after losing contact with Harwinder last month. She is now demanding strict action against the agent and a refund of the Rs 42 lakh spent on the failed journey.

“We have lost everything,” she said. “We only wanted a better future for our children—our 12-year-old son and 11-year-old daughter. Instead, we are left with nothing but debt and heartbreak.”

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Kuljinder revealed that the agent extorted money at every step of Harwinder’s journey, including a final payment of Rs 10 lakh when he was in Guatemala just two and a half months ago.

Before Harwinder’s departure, the family managed a modest living by farming leased land and rearing cattle. His younger brother also farms rented land, but their income was not enough to secure a better future. Harwinder’s elderly parents—his 85-year-old father and 70-year-old mother—still work in the fields.

Now, Kuljinder is urging the authorities to intervene and help them recover their money. “The government must act against such agents who exploit people’s desperation,” she said. “I am speaking out so that no other family suffers like ours.”

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