Amid Deportations From The US: Punjab Police raids 1274 immigration firms; registers 24 FIRs, arrests 7 travel agents

Of the 332 illegal immigrants deported by US who landed in Amritsar in three military aircraft, 126 were from Punjab, 10 from Haryana and two each from Chandigarh, and Himachal Pradesh. Subsequently four other Punjabis landed after being deported via Panama. Most of the deportees have alleged that they were duped by the travel agents. They claimed despite taking huge sums of money from them and promising legal entry, they were taken to the US through the “dunki route”– illegal and risky pathway of moving via several countries to enter America.

Special DGP (Law and Order), Arpit Shukla, who monitored the operation, said that police teams said that all the police commissioners and senior superintendents of police were asked to constitute special teams under the supervision of gazetted officers to carry out searches at all the immigration and travel agent firms in their respective jurisdictions.

“They were directed to ensure strict action against those travel agents, who were found violating the mandatory provisions and procedures of the Punjab Travel Professionals’ Regulation Act, 2012 or defrauded innocent people with false promises of facilitating entry into foreign countries,” said Shukla.

As per the provisions of The Punjab Travel Professionals’ Regulation Act 2012, all the travel agents are mandated to obtain a licence from the Deputy Commissioner’s office, which is valid for five years and renewable for subsequent five-year periods. Licensed agents are also required to display their licence prominently, maintain records of clients and services, and inform authorities prior to advertising or holding seminars. Additionally, agents are prohibited from engaging in activities beyond their licensed services. Non-compliance can result in suspension or cancellation of the license and legal action.

Shukla said that Punjab Police chief Guarav Yadav had recently constituted a four-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) headed by Additional DGP, NRI Affairs, Praveen Sinha to investigate complaints from deportees if any and take necessary action as per law. He exhorted citizens to be cautious and verify travel agents’ credentials before entrusting them with documents and money. “Only engage agencies with a valid licence issued by the Deputy Commissioner under the Punjab Travel Professionals’ Regulation Act, 2012,” he advised.