In a shocking case of visa fraud and human trafficking, Panchkula police have arrested Satyam, Gaurav Jain (both from Ambala Cantt), and Saurav Jindal of Zirakpur for allegedly cheating a 25-year-old Virender Kumar of Rs43 lakh under the pretext of sending him to the United States.
During the remand of the accused, police recovered Rs31 lakh from the trio.
Virender, a Class-12 pass-out from Chandimandir Cantt, was introduced to a Kurukshetra-based travel agent, Pankaj Sharma, who promised a tourist visa that could be converted into a work visa—for Rs35 lakh. He paid Rs17 lakh in advance and followed Sharma’s instructions to fly to Dubai on July 14, 2024.
From Dubai, Virender was shuffled across Bahrain, Istanbul, Brazil, and then forced into a dangerous land route through Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, and Panama. At each step, he was either extorted or threatened. In Honduras, he was locked in a car trunk, and later held in Guatemala, where Pankaj Sharma demanded another Rs14 lakh from his family.
By September 2024, the ordeal worsened. Virender was locked in a container, abandoned in a Mexican jungle, and eventually captured by human traffickers. He was tortured and forced into menial labour for five months.
On January 21, 2025, he was taken to Tijuana, where he was left to cross into the US. Four days later, on January 25, he was caught by US Border Patrol and deported on February 13, along with 117 others.
Police continue to investigate Pankaj Sharma and other accomplices involved in the transnational smuggling network.
