Days after Seventy-Six illegal immigrants from the state were deported from the United States, on Friday, the Haryana Police cracked the whip on illegal travel agents in several districts.
As many as 25 FIRs were registered in Karnal, 16 in Kurukshetra, 15 in Kaithal, 11 in Ambala, 4 in Jind & one each in Panipat & Yamunanagar districts.
Karnal Range Inspector-General of Police Bharti Arora said that the FIRs were registered on the complaints of the deported persons. She said that an investigation has been initiated against these travel agents & action will be taken as per the law.
The Police said that these FIRs were registered under Section 24 of the Immigration Act & Sections 420, 406 & 506 of the Indian Penal Code. However, they said that many agents were already booked for illegally sending people abroad.
An illegal immigrant Pushpendra Singh from Ambala district said, “I paid ₹14 lakh to a travel agent to send me to the US in April last year. I along with 18 other Indians, walked for nearly five days in the Panama Forests & spent a month there. On reaching Mexico, we received a country-out pass & later travelled to Tijuana that is near to the American border. Then, I was caught by the American Border Patrol. I had to spend seven days at a police station in California & I was transferred twice to camps where I spent nearly nine months & I was finally transferred to Texas. On May 18, we were deported back to India from Texas.”
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“We have registered 16 FIRs against different travel agents on the complaints of the illegal immigrants,” said Astha Modi, Kurukshetra Superintendent of Police.
According to Health Minister Anil Vij, of the 76 illegal immigrants, 22 were tested positive for coronavirus & they were admitted at a hospital in Panchkula & 52 have been sent to their native districts where they will be quarantined in government facilities for a period of 14 days.
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