City man deported from US went missing, FIR filed after over 2 months

In a shocking incident, 29-year-old Amritpal Singh, a resident of Raja Garden, Hambran road, here, who was deported from the US in April, went missing under mysterious circumstances after reaching the city. The victim is still untraceable. The Ludhiana police have registered a case on the complaint of victim’s brother Gurjeet Singh after over two months. The case was filed against unidentified persons on the suspicion that they might have kept the victim under illegal confinement.

The victim took a donkey route to reach the US.

Gurjeet stated that his brother wanted to settle in the US. A Jalandhar-based travel agent promised to send Amritpal to the US and in lieu, demanded Rs 50 lakh. Trusting on the agent, they borrowed Rs 50 lakh and gave the same to him in 2023. Later in July 2023, the agent first sent his brother to Dubai and then through various countries, the victim managed to enter America via the donkey route.

“My brother reached the US in 2023 and had been working there as well. In June 2024, during action against illegal immigrants, his brother was reportedly caught by the US immigration authorities. He was kept in custody for months,” he said.

Gurjeet said on April 9 this year, his brother, along with four other deportees, reached the Delhi airport. Though they had gone to the airport but could not meet Amritpal but got the confirmation from the airport authorities that he has landed.

“Amritpal failed to reach home. We searched for him at various places but to no avail. Later, we got to know that he took a room in a hotel near the DMCH, Ludhiana, on April 11. Even a CCTV footage of the hotel also confirmed his presence there. On April 12, he went to a mobile shop in Ghumar Mandi where he sold his iPhone and bought a low-cost phone. The shop’s CCTV footage also confirmed the same,” his brother claimed.

He alleged that on April 14, they had lodged a complaint at the office of the Commissioner of Police and on April 29, another complaint was lodged at the PAU police station but the police adopted a dilly-dallying attitude and did not registered a case in the matter. Now after over two months, the police have registered a case.

Gurjeet said the police had told them that the phone Amritpal bought after selling his iPhone had been put on surveillance but no SIM was inserted in that mobile.

“We suspect that my brother could have went into depression as despite spending Rs 50 lakh, he was deported from the US. He might also have taken any unwanted step. We also suspect Amritpal might had been kept under illegal confinement by some unidentified persons. The police should intensify the probe in the case so that he can be traced,” the victim’s brother said.

Gurjeet said a complaint against the travel agent was also lodged to seek registration of an FIR.

Ludhiana