Panama Tragedy: Youth were taken through donkey flights

A police officer said that the term ‘donkey flights’ is used when illegal immigrants are smuggled into one country through another through illegal entry points.

The youths feared drowned off the Panama coast were to be sent to the US through a method unscrupulous travel agents here call ‘donkey flights’, the two arrested travel agents have told police. The duo, Harbhajan Singh of Bhatnura in Kapurthala and Kulwinder Singh of Bhogour in Jalandhar, have also allegedly admitted that they were aware of it and that the parents of the youth were promised that the men were being sent through legal methods.

A police officer said that the term ‘donkey flights’ is used when illegal immigrants are smuggled into one country through another through illegal entry points. For instance, the officer explained, illegal immigrants are taken to a particular country on tourist visas and from there they reach their destination through different road, sea and air routes. The immigrants are also provided fake documents.

Police sources also said that one of the youth, Gurwinder Singh, was flown from Delhi to Maldives and then to some other country before being flown back to Delhi. He was then put on a flight to Brazil on December 22.

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Police sources, however, said that the arrested duo are sub-agents and that the main agent, Samuel alias Bunty of Dyalpur village near Kartarpur (near Jalandhar), is absconding. Kapurthala SSP Rajinder Singh said five police teams have been sent out to nab him at various places in Punjab and Delhi. It is also learnt that a police party had confiscated a computer from Samuel’s office on Wednesday evening. Sources said that sub agent Kulwinder Singh had sent his son, Manpreet, to the US through Samuel around four months ago after paying Rs 24 lakh and that once Manpreet made it, Kulwinder began working for Samuel.

Meanwhile the Kapurthala DC D S Mangat and SSP Rajinder Singh visited the families of two youth who have been identified so far, Gurwinder of Jaid Tehail village and Gurjeet of Tandi Aulkah, and assured them of justice.

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