Three held for human trafficking

NEW DELHI - Three travel agents have been arrested here on charges of illegally sending Indian and Nepali nationals to the US, police said Monday.

According to police, Manoj Pandey, 35, Jitender Mohan, 49, and Mohan Lal, 46, sent at least 100 people to the US illegally.

“They used to send Indian and Nepali nationals illegally to the US through countries like Mexico, Guatemala, Ecuador where visa on arrival facility is available. They were operating for the last seven years,” a senior police official said.

He added that once the client reached Latin American countries the accused managed their illegal entry into the US through Mexico border with the help of their local aides.

The agents allegedly charged Rs.25-30 lakh per person for sending them to the US.

On June 23, the police received a tip about travel agents in Delhi and Punjab involved in sending Indian and Nepali nationals to the US illegally.

“We conducted a series of raids in the offices of these travel agents at Barakhamba Road and arrested the trio. About 152 Passports, fake stamps, four computers and Rs.2.89 lakh cash were recovered from them,” the official added.

According to police, the accused got visas of like Malasiya and Singapore after tampering with passports and using forged documents for enhancing the financial and personal profiles of their clients.

“It was only after the client gained entry into the US that this group would accept payment from the relatives of the client,” the official said.