The mafia of travel agents in Punjab not only lures the youth to shell out hefty sums but also put their lives in danger, while promising to fulfil their dreams of settling abroad, AAP's Punjab Convener Sucha Singh Chhotepur said here.
He was referring to the incident in which over 20 youths from Punjab have reportedly drowned near Panama, when the boat in which they were travelling from a port town called Turbo, capsized on its journey towards the United States of America.
The AAP convener went on to say that it is "laughable" to learn that deputy chief minister Sukhbir Badal is in touch with the MEA to send a team of police officers to Panama to inquire about the boat tragedy.
"What kind of inquiry does the police intend to do in Panama? If Sukhbir was serious about the issue he could have dealt the immigration mafia with an iron hand being the home minister of Punjab," he said.
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The delegation would submit a detailed report to the party leadership suggesting ways and means to ensure such incidents don't occur in future.
"Unfortunately the mafia has been proliferating in Punjab with the tacit support of the SAD-BJP government and with the active backing of Punjab Police officials," he alleged.
"Otherwise, why has Punjab police failed to act against the travel agents based on hundreds of complaints pending in various police stations across the state," he asked.
AAP leaders said that the party would soon constitute a wing which would reach out to the families in Punjab, whose members have been stuck on foreign lands due to lack of documentation. "We will see if we can help them come back to Punjab," Chhotepur added.