Mohali, Feb 14: Hardeep Singh, a resident of Samgoli village in Mohali, was laid to rest today following the arrival of his body from Mexico. The youth had been stuck abroad for over a year before dying during a failed attempt to reach the United States through an illegal migration network.
The police have intensified their crackdown on the travel agents who facilitated the journey. A local court recently granted a three-day remand for one arrested agent, while the search for a second accomplice continues. The case highlights the dangers of the “donkey route,” as the family alleges Hardeep was mistreated and deprived of basic necessities while being held in Mexico.
Complications arose during the repatriation process because the agents had provided Hardeep with fake Nepalese documentation. This discrepancy in his citizenship records meant that his family had to wait months before the body could be legally cleared for transport back to Punjab.
Hardeep’s brother, Malkiat Singh, mentioned that the family had complied with the agents’ heavy financial demands, but his brother was still left in dire conditions. The funeral was attended by community leaders and former MLA NK Sharma, who expressed solidarity with the grieving family.
“After reaching Mexico, the agents kept him hungry and thirsty in a room,” Malkiat Singh directly said when describing the conditions his brother faced before his death.
