Wanted in 2023 murder case, Punjab cousins deported from US held

They were among the 65 deportees from Punjab on the aircraft — the second such flight of “illegal immigrants” from India since US President Donald Trump took charge. The first batch of 104 deportees was flown to Amritsar on February 5, and a third US flight carrying 112 people is slated to land in the city Sunday night.

According to an FIR registered at Rajpura City police station in Patiala on June 25, 2023, based on a complaint by a street cart vendor near the Dana Mandi area, the two cousins were alleged to have been among a group that engaged in a physical altercation involving swords with two other individuals. One of the two individuals died in the incident, the FIR stated.

Police said Sandeep and Pardeep could not be traced later and were declared “proclaimed offenders”.

Family members of the cousins, meanwhile, claimed the two were “falsely implicated” in the case. “The boys were arrested by police before they could reach home from the airport,” said Satnam Singh, a relative. He also claimed that they had spent “approximately Rs 1.2 crore on arrangements” to send them abroad. “An agent had promised secure passage but instead routed the two through a jungle path,” he said.

Punjab Police DIG Mandeep Singh Sidhu (Patiala range) was not available for comment. Rajpura City police station SHO Balwinder Singh confirmed that Sandeep and Pardeep were produced in court and taken in remand. He said the two were among five men named as accused in connection with the incident of 2023 on charges including murder, attempt to murder and rioting.

“Both Pardeep Singh and Sandeep Sunny are cousins and they fled the country after they were booked for murder… The agent sent both through the Dunki (illegal) route and they were arrested by the US authorities and deported,” a police officer said.