Punjab Police make first arrest, nab travel agent in Patiala on US deportee’s complaint
The special investigation team (SIT) was formed on February 7 to probe the illegal human trafficking and migration network
The NRI affairs wing of Punjab Police on Saturday made the first arrest in the illegal immigration network case following a complaint by a recent deportee from the United States. A travel agent identified as Anil Batra, one of the four accused involved in the scam, was arrested in Patiala, officials said.
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The special investigation team (SIT), headed by additional director general of police (NRI affairs) Praveen Sinha, which was formed on February 7 to probe the illegal human trafficking and migration network, said accused Batra was arrested by a team led by station house officer (SHO) of Police Station NRI Patiala inspector Abhey Singh Chauhan under the supervision of SP (NRI Affairs) Patiala Gurbans Singh Bains.
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Batra was produced before a local court soon after the arrest and was sent to a three-day police remand. According to the police, Batra was involved in facilitating the illegal immigration of a complainant, Gurwinder Singh, a resident of Patiala, who was among 104 Indians deported from the US on February 5.
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The four-member SIT was constituted by Punjab Police with a mandate to probe complaints against fraudulent travel agents involved in deceptive immigration practices days after a US military aircraft carrying 104 illegal Indian immigrants landed at the Amritsar airport on February 5. Of them, 33 each were from Haryana and Gujarat, and 30 from Punjab.
The SIT has registered 10 first information reports (FIRs) to date, and the first arrest was made on Saturday. Apart from Sinha, the other members of SIT are ADGP (internal security) Shive Kumar Verma, inspector general of police (provisioning) S Boopathi and deputy inspector general (border range) Satinder Singh.
SIT head Sinha said accused Anil Batra, a resident of Shanti Nagar, Teka Market, Thanesar in Kurukshetra, Haryana, was apprehended from his in-laws’ residence in Patiala.
“He has been booked under Sections 406, 420, 370, and 120-B of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Section 24 of the Emigration Act in an FIR registered on February 8. Batra is accused of facilitating the illegal immigration process of an individual by arranging a visa of Suriname and ticket for the complainant,” Sinha said.
The ADGP added that once in Suriname, the victim travelled overland to other countries in South America, including Brazil or Colombia, from where he crossed into Central America.
“In Central America, the victim travelled through countries, including Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala, and Mexico, to finally reach the United States illegally, with the help of traffickers and smugglers. As of February 14, Batra’s bank account with a balance of ₹6.35 lakh has been frozen,” the ADGP added.
While forming the SIT, Punjab DGP Gaurav Yadav had said: “The SIT will focus on identifying the individuals involved in these illegal activities and ensuring they are held accountable for their actions, besides identifying the persons involved in the illegal activities.”
He said the SIT will take appropriate action as per law and facts. “The committee has been empowered to co-opt any other police officer in the inquiry/investigation. They will maintain coordination with the concerned senior superintendents of police/commissioners of police, who have been directed to provide all the required assistance and infrastructural facilities to the committee”, the DGP added.
The arrest comes on a day when a plane carrying 119 illegal immigrants from the US is set to land at the Amritsar airport, the second such batch of Indians to be deported by the Donald Trump administration as part of its promised crackdown on illegal migration.
As per reports, 67 deportees are from Punjab, 33 are from Haryana, eight from Gujarat, three from Uttar Pradesh, two each from Goa, Maharashtra and Rajasthan, and one each from Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir.