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Jalandhar Passport Officer Amarjit Singh told this correspondent that the antecedents of as many as 39 detained Punjabi men had been confirmed; his office, he said, had sent telegrams to their families asking them to deposit about Rs. 26,000 for their fare home and other charges.

However, the telegram hasn’t reached all the families. Parminder, wife of one of the detained, 35-year-old Vijay Kumar, only learnt of her husband’s detention when this correspondent visited her house at Dosanjh Kalan village. While she was stunned, Vijay’s father Paras Ram said he hadn’t received any telegram from the Jalandhar PO.

Vijay, the eldest of three brothers, had gone four years ago to Kuwait, then to Saudi Arabia, where he’d been staying the past three years. Paras said that they were not aware that he’d been trying to sneak into Europe. His mother Bhajan Kaur said her son had last phoned them in January, on Lohri. Interestingly, instead of worrying about her son’s repatriation, she asked whether he could be sent to some European country. But Vijay’s youger brothers Chaman Lal and Tirath Ram said they’d arrange to repatriate him as and when they received official information.

Several other families are similarly unaware of the detention. But many of those who’ve received the telegrams have started making arrangements for the repatriation.

Des Raj of Boparai Kalan village in Nakodar admitted that he’d received a telegram from the Jalandhar PO asking him to deposit the money for his 27-year-old son Yadwinder’s repatriation. He didn’t have the money now, he said, he would borrow some soon.