On 27th December 2023, a Nicaragua-bound flight carrying Indians returned to India after being grounded in France on suspicion of human trafficking. Two weeks into the investigation by the Gujarat police, it has been revealed that the flyers from Punjab were categorically asked to identify themselves as pro-Khalistani activists and seek asylum in the United States in case they get apprehended at the border.
Superintendent of Police (SP) Rajkumar, Gujarat Police’s ADGP, CID (Crime and Railways), said in a statement, “There were nearly 200 persons from Punjab on that flight while 66 were from Gujarat. We learnt that these trips are mainly for Punjabis. If some seats remain vacant on the flight after accommodating them, the Delhi agents ask Gujarat-based agents to arrange people ready to pay to enter the US illegally through their set-up.”
So far, the investigating agency has booked 14 agents on the charges of human trafficking for attempting to send 66 Gujaratis to the US illegally using the Mexico border. SP Rajkumar said, “The agents instructed the passengers from Punjab to identify themselves as Khalistanis and seek asylum in the US if they were caught at the border. The story will be different for other passengers. In the US, the government allows asylum seekers to work on humanitarian grounds.” So far, no arrests have been made in the case. The police said that a lookout notice would soon be issued against all the accused agents in the matter.
Reports suggest that most agents were from Gujarat and some from Dubai, Mumbai and Delhi. During the investigation, the police found that the agents promised the passengers that they would help them to enter the US illegally. They were supposed to head for the US after reaching Nicaragua, a Latin American country. The agents charged the passengers Rs 60 lakh to 80 lakh.
Furthermore, the investigation revealed that the agents booked in the matter worked closely with the agents living in the US, Mexico, Nicaragua, Dubai and Delhi. They had already sent several persons to Nicaragua on three separate trips in December alone. The passengers were told that the agents’ associate would take them to the US border in Mexico from Nicaragua and then help them cross the border. The agents had booked flight tickets for the passengers.
The passengers apprehended in France had reached Dubai on valid tourist visas from different cities, including Ahmedabad, Mumbai and Delhi, between 10th and 20th December. Later, they took a private plane at the Fujairah International Airport on 21st December that was supposed to reach Nicaragua. The chartered plane was owned by the Romanian charter company Legend Airlines. It landed at Vatry near Paris on 21st December due to a technical fault. At the airport, French police intervened, and an investigation revealed that the agents from Delhi made the flight bookings. Furthermore, lawyers were kept on hold in case anything went wrong.
Anti-India rhetoric used to enter Western countries
There have been several reports where illegal immigrants from India, especially from Punjab, have used a “Khalistani shield” to seek asylum in Western countries. Notably, Sangrur’s Member of Parliament (MP) and Shiromali Akali Dal (Amritsar) chief openly admitted in an interview that he provided letters to asylum seekers for permanent residency in other countries. He claimed to have issued 50,000 such letters for approx Rs 35,000 per letter. “Did not charge family members of martyrs or poor families,” he claimed. While several pro-Khalistani Indians evaded Indian agencies and took shelter in countries like Canada, the US, Australia and others, some people use fake documents to seek asylum in those countries, claiming to be pro-Khalistani activists. They claim that they need asylum to protect themselves against persecution in India.
