JASWANT SINGH GANDAM / RAMAN NEHRA
India Post News Service
PHAGWARA: Twenty-eight-year-old Komaljot of Phagwara, who was among seven Punjabi youths who were stuck in Iraq, got happily reunited with his family at the local Kaulsar mohalla late July 27. A father of two daughters – one two-and-a-half years old and the other hardly 10 months old – Komaljot was thankful to Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), especially district Youth Akali Dal president and Phagwara Deputy Mayor Ranjit Singh Khurana, for the help provided to him and his family.
He hugged his two daughters, lifting the elder on his shoulder with the other perching on the lap of his wife Simran.
The family cut a cake in celebration of Komaljot’s safe return.
Narrating the harrowing tale, Komaljot’s young wife Simran, father Mohan Lal and brother Manjinder Kumar said that he went to Iraq eight months ago.
They said shelled out Rs 280,000 to travel agents who had promised us virtually the moon for Komaljot in Iraq. But after he reached there, he faced hell and had to run from pillar to post for even a loaf of bread. He virtually starved there. His documents were taken away. Though the agents had promised a good job in posh hotels there, he got no job nor a work permit but was rather stuffed in a room along with others.
According to the family members, even the lawyer there harassed them, forcing them to cough out $4700. They became penniless and did not have any money to come back to India. Komaljot felt a threat to his life. The family then contacted Khurana who arranged a meeting with Youth Akali Dal Patron and former Punjab Cabinet minister Bikramjit Singh Majithia who gave the assurance that SAD would foot the bill of Komaljot’s return.
Komaljot alleged that as his passport was taken away by agents and he had no work permit, he had to pay $ 28 as penalty there.
“Otherwise, I would have been jailed,” he said.
”Actually, there were 13-14 youths packed like sardines in a very small room. Besides us seven, there were Pakistanis as well.”
He alleged that unscrupulous travel agents were also sending young girls from India, mostly Punjab, to Iraq in large numbers and the plight of these girls was pitiable there.
Komaljot, who along with six other youths who had landed at New Delhi airport July 27, also thanked Union Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal who took their issue up with the External Affairs Minister who directed the Consul General in Erbil to intervene and take necessary steps for the repatriation of the youth.
Other youths, including Prabhjot Singh of village Khalil of Bholath in district Kapurthala, were also reunited with their families last night.
Sarabjit Singh, the father of Prabhjot, said that he also gave Rs 280,000 to travel agents who had promised a good job to his son in Iraq.
“Rather than providing him a job, his passport was snatched by a woman agent there and he was harassed. We contacted district (Rural) Akali Dal president Ranjit Singh Khojewal who arranged our meeting with SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal,” he said.
He thanked the External Affairs Ministry for bearing all expenses for the repatriation as well as SAD which footed the bill of air ticket of his son.
It may be mentioned here that the other five youths – Amandeep, Sandeep, Saurav, Baljeet and Randeep – belong to Phillaur area.
These youths were duped by woman travel agent Neelam Rani and her relative Ram Lubhaya of nearby Shotran village in December last year.
Cases under Sections 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property) and 406 (punishment for criminal breach of trust) of IPC were registered against the duo May 30 this year, according to Phagwara DSP Manjit Singh.
