Patiala Youth sent to Indonesia instead of US, agent extorts Rs 38 lakh from family

Chandigarh: The aspiration to go abroad has exacted a toll on numerous individuals. In Patiala district, Punjab, three instances of fraud amounting to Rs 89.25 lakh, under the guise of facilitating overseas travel, have been reported.

In one such incident, a young man was erroneously sent to Indonesia instead of America by travel agents. Subsequently, he was confined to a room, subjected to physical abuse, and his family was threatened.

The culprits coerced the family into depositing Rs 38 lakh into their accounts. Police have filed cases against three travel agents hailing from Delhi, Haryana, and Punjab.

The initial complaint originates from Pahir Kalan village, where Navjot Singh of Rajpura reported that Munish Kumar (Rajpura resident), Paramjit Singh (Yamunanagar resident, Haryana), and Farooq Alam (Delhi resident) misled him to Indonesia instead of America.

He was forcibly held in a residence, assaulted, and coerced to deposit Rs 38 lakh. Subsequently, the accused arranged for his travel to Dubai. The victim managed to return home, and the police have registered a case against the three perpetrators.

Munish Kumar, Paramjeet Singh, and their accomplice Vijay Kumar, also defrauded Manpreet Singh from Pahir Khurd village in Patiala of Rs 42 lakh. Posing as facilitators for his journey to America, they neither fulfilled the promise nor refunded the money. Rajpura police have initiated legal proceedings against the accused.