Youth held hostage by ‘Donkers’ in Colombia thanks Seechewal for safe passage

In his pursuit to head to the US, Kapurthala’s Balwinder Singh was routed through jungles and handed to traffickers in Columbia.

After his return, Balwinder today thanked environmentalist Balbir Singh Seechewal for safely bringing him back. He described how he endured and witnessed horrific scenes of torture inflicted on him and his companions.

The donkers filmed these acts of brutality and sent the videos to the victims’ families in India to demand ransom. One of them even threatened Balwinder, saying, “You’ll be shot in the morning.”

A resident of Baz village in Kapurthala, Singh arrived at Nirmal Kuteya, Sultanpur Lodhi, with his family to express gratitude. In the presence of Rajya Sabha MP Balbir Singh Seechewal, he recounted how, after being threatened with death, he decided to attempt an escape. He somehow managed to flee from the donkers’ grip. His escape proved successful when he eventually reached a main road, where a biker helped him reach to a safe location.

Balwinder left India for the US in July 2024. Agents routed him from Delhi to Mumbai, then through the Netherlands, Sierra Leone, Ghana and the Amazon jungle to Brazil. From there, he was taken through Bolivia, Peru, and Ecuador, eventually ending up in Colombia’s forests, where he was handed over to traffickers. Upon arrival, they confiscated his passport and phone, and locked him in a room. Dozens of other young men from Punjab, Haryana and various countries were also imprisoned in groups. He claimed that some Nepali girls were also held captive nearby.

After escaping from the donkers, Balwinder finally reached a safe place and, five months later, was able to contact his family and tell them everything. During that time, his family approached Seechewal. He coordinated with the Ministry of External Affairs and the Indian Embassy in Canada to initiate Balwinder’s rescue and return.

Balwinder’s mother, Shinder Kaur, who reached Nirmal Kutiya, tearfully thanked Seechewal, saying, “This is like my son’s second birth.” She said that in order to send their son abroad, agents had already made them sell their land and house. Had it not been for Seechewal arranging Balwinder’s return ticket, they did not even have enough money to bring him back.

Jalandhar