‘Held by Mexico mafia, India return in chains’: Nagpur man’s ₹50 lakh ‘dunki’ journey to United States

Harpreet Singh Laliya, one of the 104 Indians deported from the United States over illegal immigration, has narrated the hardships he had to endure during his ‘dunki’ journey to the United States. He claimed he returned in ignominy in handcuffs and chains around his legs.

Laliya wanted to go to Canada. However, a mistake by his agent ensured a perilous journey to the United States. He spent ₹50 lakh for the illegal immigration but has returned empty-handed.

During his months long journey, he undertook grueling treks and even incarceration by the Mexican mafia for 10 days.

“I had gone on a Canada visa. I started my journey from New Delhi on December 5, 2024. I had a connecting flight from Abu Dhabi the next day but was not allowed to board, after which I returned to Delhi and stayed there for eight days. Then I was made to board a flight to Cairo in Egypt, from where I was supposed to go to Montreal in Canada via Spain,” Laliya told reporters.

He told PTI that he stayed in Spain for four days. He was then sent to Guatemala, from there to Nicaragua, further to Honduras and Mexico, and then to the US border.

He spent ₹49.5 lakh, which he had raised through loans from banks, family and friends.

“I spent ₹49.5 lakh in all. This money was taken from banks as loans and from friends and kin. I had gone on a Canadian visa and wanted to go to work in that country. However, due to my agent’s mistake, I suffered this ordeal,” he added.

He said his ordeal included being “caught by the mafia in Mexico and held by them for 10 days”. He was forced to trek a mountain for four hours and a 16-hour walk to the US border.

He said that before deportation by the US authorities, 104 people were taken to a facility called “welcome centres”. They were sent to India in a US aircraft, handcuffed and chained, reported the agency.

104 Indians deported from America

A C-17 Globemaster aircraft of the US military carrying these 104 illegal immigrants landed at Amritsar airport on Wednesday. They comprise 33 each from Haryana and Gujarat, 30 from Punjab, three each from Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh, and two from Chandigarh.

External affairs minister S Jaishankar informed the Rajya Sabha on Thursday that SoPs for deportations, organised and executed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) authorities in the US, “provides for the use of restraints”.

“However, we have been informed by ICE that women and children are not restrained,” the EAM told the Parliament.