International Human Trafficking Racket Busted, Five Arrested from Punjab

An international human trafficking racket has been busted and as many as 25 people from Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Uttar Pradesh have been rescued till now. The police arrested five suspects and also recovered Rs. 2.13 crore, along with gold, mobile phones, and vehicles. They have also identified other members involved in the racket.

The five people arrested for involvement in an international human trafficking racket have been identified as Baldish Kaur, Gurjit Singh, Sahil Bhatti, Som Raj, and Veena. They are residents of Jalandhar and Hoshiarpur. However, the kingpins of this operation identified as Sunny Kumar and Jasvir Singh, alias Sanjay are currently residing in Indonesia and Singapore respectively. The police also recovered Rs. 2.13 crore, along with 640 grams of gold, seven mobile phones, and four vehicles.

The gang used the pretext of sending people abroad to lure them in and then kidnap them midway for ransom from their families. Till now, 25 people have been rescued from across Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Uttar Pradesh.

“The suspects used to lure the youths on the pretext of sending them to the US and Europe through Mexico, Indonesia and Singapore. The kin of the victim used to be entrapped as they would claim that the money would be taken only after the candidate reached US. But once the victim reached Bali, Singapore, or Mexico, they used to kidnap them on gunpoint and extort money from their relatives. The victims told us that they were beaten brutally and tortured till the money was transferred to their account. The suspects are persons of Punjabi origin, living there,” Mohali SSP Dr. Sandeep Garg explained.

SP (Investigation) Amandeep Singh Brar and DSP (Investigation) Gursher Singh Sandhu added that two cases have been registered against the gang that has been booked under Sections 406, 420, 470, 386, 364, 370 of the IPC and the Punjab Travel Professions Regulation Act. Furthermore, a helpline has been set up as well to help the victims and their families who might be trapped in this racket.

Some of the other people involved in the racket are Abhishek, Sonia, Malkiat Singh, Toni, Bhupinder Singh, Bhinda, Sandeep Arthiya, and Suman.

Vineet Washington