Despite 1,500 FIRs in 4 yrs, no let-up in emigration frauds in Doaba

Deepkamal Kaur

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, December 25

Though the Ludhiana DC yesterday ordered cancellation of the licence of a travel agent after finding him guilty of a fraud, no similar action has been ordered by the civil administration in Doaba despite registration of hundreds of cases of travel frauds in the region.

DC Pradeep Kumar Agrawal has cancelled the licence of immigration consultant firm Overseas Education and Career Consultants India Pvt Ltd (OECC) after he found the owners guilty of having committed fraud with people on the pretext of sending them abroad. The licence was cancelled after giving the company four months to file proper reply to the complaints and for violating sub rule (4) of rule 4 of Punjab Travel Professionals Regulation Rules 2013.

Agrawal has also written to all other Deputy Commissioners to mention the name of the company in red on all government websites after making the same entry on the official website of Ludhiana.

Since January 1 this year, 135 FIRs have been lodged against travel agents in Jalandhar, 42 in Kapurthala, 70 in Nawanshahr and 46 in Hoshiarpur against nearly 550 travel agents, but no such action has ever been mulled by the administrative officers of the more affected Doaba region. As many as 1,500 FIRs have been lodged in the four districts of the region since the past four years for committing fraud, but the agents continue to run scot-free.

In Jalandhar, the Enforcement Directorate had conducted raids on the premises of three travel agents in connection with heavy deportation cases of youth from the region from the US borders, but no action has come against them either by the police or the civil administration. As many as 24 men from the region returned home last week after being made to do slavery in Russia for months. They alleged that they were put into trouble by two agents who promised them good jobs and instead handed them over to a Russian employer, made to work like slaves and gave inadequate food only once a day.

Khambra-based youth Harjit Singh claims to have been submitting all evidences against three agents for sending him on a fake work permit to Malaysia and getting him into trouble there, but the agents continue to make a brisk business despite an FIR against them. “Since the case in August, I have called the police to arrest them whenever I see them around but the cops have never turned up on time,” he said.

In another case, a 27-year-old youth of Jalandhar Rajan committed suicide after falling prey to a travel agent, who duped him of Rs 10 lakh by luring him to send to the US, but instead sent him to Russia from where he was deported. His father had alleged that ever since his son had returned, he was under depression after getting death threats from the agent and he hanged himself.

Deputy Commissioners of Hoshiarpur and Nawanshahr could not recollect any case where they had suspended licence of an agent. The Jalandhar ADC hinted towards one similar case this year.

Fraud on pretext of sending people abroad 

• DC Pradeep Kumar Agrawal has cancelled the licence of immigration consultant firm Overseas Education and Career Consultants India Pvt Ltd after owners were found guilty of having committed fraud with people on the pretext of sending them abroad. 
• The licence was cancelled after giving the company four months to file proper reply to the complaints.