Punjab 'donkey route' probe hindered by airline's info sharing hesitation

Chandigarh, January 21: The investigation into the alleged human trafficking of Punjabi passengers, who were returned to India by France from a Nicaragua-bound flight in December, has faced significant delays due to the unwillingness of a private airline to disclose details of tickets purchased by the passengers, according to officials.

On December 30, the Punjab police established a special investigation team to look into the matter. However, progress has been hindered as one major airline, used by a majority of the affected passengers for their journey from India to Dubai, has not cooperated in providing transaction details, as revealed by an anonymous investigator.

While two airlines involved have shared relevant information, the third one has not responded to multiple reminders despite requests made to their management. Investigators have discovered that passengers traveled in smaller groups after entrusting the entire expense to specific travel agents.

Over 200 passengers from Punjab reached Dubai from either Mumbai or Delhi, forming part of this complex case. The Special Investigation Team (SIT), led by Police Superintendent Randhir Kumar, has faced challenges as victims are reluctant to come forward and register complaints. Despite efforts by the police, only two complaints have been filed to date.

The SIT has made over 150 attempts to contact passengers for details about their journey, but many are hesitant, fearing potential loss of reimbursement or claiming they possessed valid documents for tourism purposes in Nicaragua.

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To address this issue, police have appointed nodal officers in all districts to encourage victims to come forward. Superintendent Randhir Kumar stated, "We are making our best efforts to reveal the racketeers behind the case." As of now, two complaints have been filed, both registered by the Amritsar Rural Police district under sections 420 (cheating), 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code, and section 13 of the Punjab Travel Professionals Regulation Act.

The prime suspect, travel agent Tarsem Singh, accused in the Nicaragua flight case, is currently on the run. In one complaint, victim Damanpreet alleges Singh took ₹42 lakh, promising entry into the US. Out of the 12 people from the district involved in the case, only two have come forward to register complaints, according to Satinder Singh, Senior Superintendent of Police, Amritsar Rural. Singh, despite being a proclaimed offender in a similar case four years ago in Jalandhar, continued operating his network to send people abroad using illegal methods.

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(Inputs from agencies)

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