US Deportation: Travel agent arrested in Punjab for illegal immigration fraud

Chandigarh: Punjab Police’s NRI affairs wing has arrested travel agent Anil Batra in connection with an illegal immigration fraud case. Batra is one of four accused of duping individuals with false promises of facilitating their illegal entry into the US, resulting in their deportation.

The arrest follows the formation of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) by Punjab Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav, which registered 10 FIRs against travel agents involved in immigration fraud. The SIT, led by ADGP NRI Affairs Praveen Sinha, is urging deported individuals to come forward to aid in the investigation.

Batra, a resident of Shanti Nagar, Thanesar, Kurukshetra, Haryana, was arrested from his in-laws’ house in Patiala. He was named in FIR No. 06 dated February 8, 2025, under Sections 406, 420, 370, and 120-B of the Indian Penal Code and Section 24 of the Immigration Act.

He is accused of arranging a Suriname visa and ticket for a complainant who illegally entered the US via several South and Central American countries with the help of smugglers. Batra’s bank account, holding Rs 6.35 lakh, has been frozen as of February 14, 2025.