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| Illegal emigration thrivesin Punjab |
| Fatehgarh Sikri, a prosperous village in the Kaputhala district of Punjab, owes much of its prosperity to the designs of one man Joginder Singh.
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| INDIA
, 7-May-2007
1:23:45 AM |
| Singh has been a hero in his village for the past 15 years, but is now infamous as the travel agent who tried to help Babubhai Katara smuggle two people out of the country.
Joginder is absconding and his house is deserted. People refused to come on camera but off it they said that Joginder Singh has sent at least 300 people abroad.
He has sent people from his village to the US, Germany, Canada, and the UK and they now help their families back home, Joginder's own family is settled in Canada.
It's a well-oiled mechanism that works well for the villagers desperate to get out, travel agents earn good money with a little help from friends in high places.
''According to my information some visas are issued in connivance with embassy people but we don't have a proof of this,'' said Kuljit Singh, President, Punjab Travel Agents Association.
''Some people charge between 35 to 40 lacs for sending people abroad,'' said SSP Jalandhar, Arpit Shukla, SSP Jalandhar.
''They give advertisements in newspapaers, negotiate and change SIM cards,'' said Rakesh Agarwal, SSP Kapurthala.
''In such transactions, there is no evidence it is black money,'' said Arpit Shukla, SSP Jalandhar.
''They have links with bigger sharks in Delhi and Bombay,'' said Kuljit Singh, President Punjab Travel Agents Association.
At the moment, there are almost 500 travel agents in Punjab alone. And according to officials, 50 per cent of these help people with illegal emigration. Here's how they do it:
Sneak out at transit ports, instead of taking the connecting flight to a country they have a visa for, say a south American country, which is less strict with handing out visas.
Cross over mountains or rivers into another country. This happens particularly between east and west European countries.
Cross into US through the porous mexican border.
Stowaway on a ship or plane to the US or Europe after getting a visa to an African country.
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