Kin posed as travel agents send man illegally to US, dupe him of Rs 44 lakh: police

In his complaint, Jagtar Singh alleged that his relatives posed as travel agents and assured him that they would legally send him to the US.

Despite a sharp rise in deportations by the US and repeated advisories by Indian authorities, unregistered travel agents in Punjab continue to lure aspirants with false promises of legal migration. In one such case, a resident of Sultanpur Lodhi in Kapurthala district has alleged that his own relatives cheated him of over Rs 44 lakh. The victim claimed that he was sent to the US through an illegal route spanning multiple countries, and ultimately deported after spending nearly ten-and-a-half months in transit and detention.

According to police records, Jagtar Singh, a taxi driver and resident of the village of Jainpur in the Sultanpur Lodhi subdivision, submitted a detailed written complaint to the Kapurthala Police on July 30, 2025, alleging fraud, cheating, and criminal intimidation. After the investigation, police registered a case against two agents on Monday.

In his complaint, Jagtar Singh alleged that his relatives — Joga Singh and his wife from the village of Masitan, along with two others — posed as travel agents and assured him that they would send him legally to the US by a direct flight.

The deal was allegedly finalised in July 2024 for Rs 50 lakh, with the assurance that the amount would be taken only after the visa was issued. The complainant stated that he was later shown a copy of a visa and was asked to start making payments.

Police investigation revealed that on September 5, 2024, Jagtar Singh transferred Rs 8 lakh to an account that belonged to Jagjit Singh Bhullar, who runs a firm named VarisProperty Linkers. An additional Rs 1 lakh was paid in cash the following day. Further payments were allegedly made in cash and through relatives, taking the total amount paid to Rs 44.15 lakh. Bank records, witness statements and payment details were collected during the inquiry, police said.

Instead of a direct flight to the US, Jagtar Singh was allegedly sent from Delhi to France, then to Spain, and later to El Salvador in September 2024. From there, he was moved through forest routes and makeshift camps across Central America and Mexico.

According to his statement, agents’ associates confiscated the dollars he was carrying, repeatedly demanded additional money, and threatened to abandon him mid-route if payments were not arranged. He alleged that he spent months moving between camps and forest areas under harsh conditions.

While attempting to cross into the US from Mexico, Jagtar Singh was arrested by US authorities and lodged in a detention camp in December last year. He remained in detention before being deported to India, eventually returning on July 18, 2025. He alleged that he spent nearly ten-and-a-half months including around three and a half months travelling through illegal routes and seven months in detention, only to be deported without ever entering the US legally.

After returning he demanded money from his agent but he ignored him and then refused to pay back and threatened him. Then he made a complaint to the police. After receiving the complaint on July 30, 2025, the Kapurthala police conducted a thorough inquiry, during which statements of the complainant, witnesses, bank officials and residents were recorded.

The inquiry concluded that the accused were not registered travel agents under the Punjab Travel Professionals (Regulation) Act, 2014, and that the complainant had been misled with false assurances of legal migration.

Based on the inquiry findings and legal opinion from the Deputy District Attorney (Legal), Kapurthala, the Senior Superintendent of Police, Kapurthala, issued directions for registration of a case, following which an FIR was registered on January 5, 2026.

The case has been registered under relevant provisions including 316 (2), 318 (4), 351 (2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Section 13 of the Punjab Travel Professionals (Regulation) Act, 2014. Police said further investigation is underway and the role of other persons, if any, will also be examined.

Jagtar Singh said that his only demand is that the police should arrest the accused and get his money back, which he had arranged from several relatives.