Mohali, Feb 14: The body of Hardeep Singh, a young man from Samgoli village who died while attempting to enter the United States illegally, was cremated by his family today. The arrival of his remains marks the end of a four-and-a-half-month struggle to bring him home after he perished in Mexico.
Former MLA NK Sharma and several local residents attended the funeral to pay their respects to the deceased. Hardeep had left his village in July 2024 after travel agents promised him entry into the US via the “donkey route” for a fee of Rs 33 lakh. However, the journey turned fatal when he became stranded in Mexico for a year.
The Dera Bassi police have taken action against two travel agents involved in the case. One suspect was arrested yesterday and has been placed in police remand for three days following a court appearance. Investigations revealed that Hardeep was allegedly sent to Mexico using fraudulent Nepalese documents, which caused significant delays in repatriating his body to India.
The family stated that the agents kept Hardeep in a room without adequate food or water. Despite the family sending an additional Rs 4 lakh to support him after the agents withheld funds, his health deteriorated.
“The agents had promised to take him to the US through donkey route after receiving payment of Rs 33 lakh,” Malkiat Singh, the brother of the deceased, noted while recounting the ordeal.
