‘Walked 45 Km, Saw Dead Bodies’: Cheated By Agents, Deportees From US Share Their Journey

Last Updated:February 06, 2025, 12:09 IST

One of the deportees said they had to cross 17 to 18 hills and injured people in their team were left to die

The US military aircraft carried 104 illegal immigrants from various states on Wednesday. (Source: PTI)

Over a hundred deportees, who were brought in a US military plane to Amritsar on Wednesday, shared their ‘dunki’ ordeal involving fake agents, loss of money, threats to life, and scarcity of food among many others.

According to sources, the Indians were deported on a US C-17 aircraft, with their hands and feet cuffed after Indian authorities were notified. Jaspal Singh, who was the deportees, claimed that their hands and legs were cuffed throughout the journey and they were unshackled only after landing at the Amritsar airport.

Jaspal, 36, who hails from Hardorwal village in Gurdaspur district, said he was captured by the US Border Patrol on January 24.

A US military aircraft carrying around 100 illegal immigrants from various states landed here on Wednesday, the first such batch of Indians deported by the Donald Trump government as part of a crackdown against illegal immigrants.

Of them, around 30 each were from Haryana and Gujarat, 30 from Punjab, three each from Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh, and two from Chandigarh, sources said, quoting approximate figures. Deportees from Punjab were taken to their native places in police vehicles from the Amritsar airport.

The ‘Dunki’ Ordeal

One deportee from Punjab shared the harrowing experience of taking the ‘dunki route’ to the US. “We crossed 17-18 hills, and if anyone slipped, there was no chance they would survive. We saw many people injured and left to die. There were dead bodies along the way," he said. The journey included a 15-hour boat ride, and they were forced to walk 40-45 km. Along the way, their clothes worth Rs 30,000-35,000 were stolen.

Jaspal, who was deported back to India after spending a significant amount of money, described how he was defrauded by a travel agent who had promised him a legal route to the US. “I asked the agent to send me through a proper visa, but he deceived me," Jaspal explained. The deal had cost him Rs 30 lakh.

Jaspal had reached Brazil by air in July of the previous year and was promised that the next leg of his journey to the US would also be by air. However, his agent betrayed him, forcing him to cross the border illegally. After six months in Brazil, Jaspal attempted to cross into the US but was caught by US Border Patrol. He was detained for 11 days before being deported back to India.

Unaware of his deportation, Jaspal said, “We thought we were being taken to another camp. Then a police officer told us we were being sent to India." He and the others were handcuffed and shackled, only to be freed upon reaching Amritsar airport. Jaspal was devastated by his deportation. “A huge amount of money was spent, and it was all borrowed," he said.

Jaspal’s cousin, Jasbir Singh, learned of the deportation through the media on Wednesday morning. He remarked, “These matters are handled by governments. When we go abroad to work, we have big dreams for a better future for our families, but those dreams have now been shattered."

Two other deportees who arrived in Hoshiarpur on Wednesday night shared their own experiences. Harwinder Singh, from Tahli village, had left for the US in August last year, passing through Qatar, Brazil, Peru, Colombia, Panama, Nicaragua, and Mexico before attempting to reach the US. He survived a perilous boat ride that nearly capsized in the sea. Singh witnessed one person die in the Panama jungle and another drown at sea. His travel agent had promised him a safer route via Europe to Mexico, but Singh spent Rs 42 lakh on his journey. “Sometimes we got rice; other times, we got only biscuits," he said.

Earlier in the day, a US Air Force C-17 Globemaster aircraft arrived at Amritsar airport, just days before Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Washington for talks with President Donald Trump. The deportees were questioned by various government agencies, including Punjab Police and intelligence agencies, to check for any criminal records.

Chandigarh, India, India

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