Subhechcha Ganguly 
The police in Punjab and Haryana have intensified their crackdown on travel agents following allegations from deported migrants who claimed to have been duped into illegal entry into the United States. Many of these deportees accused the agents of facilitating their travel via ‘dunki’ routes, which are perilous and unlawful pathways often used by migrants seeking to enter the US. The authorities have already registered cases against several travel agents, including one in Amritsar, after complaints surfaced from the 104 Indian deportees returned by the US on Wednesday.
In a significant move, the Punjab Police have filed a case against Satnam Singh Manan, a travel agent from Kotli Khehra village in Amritsar, who is accused of sending one of the deported individuals illegally. The complaint was filed by Daler Singh, a resident of Salempura village near Rajasansi in Amritsar, who was among those deported. Manan faces charges under Sections 318(4) of the BNS and the Punjab Travel Professionals (Regulation) Act, 2014, for allegedly misleading the migrant and sending him on a dangerous and illegal route to the US. The investigation is ongoing as more deportees come forward with similar complaints.
