Latest news with #Balwinder
Time of India
5 days ago
- Time of India
Punjab youth Balwinder Singh, held captive by human traffickers in Colombia jungle, escapes death; family begs for rescue
Jalandhar: The family of 25-year-old Balwinder Singh, a US-bound youth traversing the donkey route who escaped from the clutches of human traffickers in Colombia's jungles, has approached Rajya Sabha member Baba Balbir Singh Seechewal to help his return to India. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now They have provided videos of the torture meted out by the traffickers upon three other men from Punjab and Haryana. Seechewal's office has forwarded these videos to Kapurthala police, as the family submitted a complaint for action against four local agents. Balwinder had left home for the US a year ago. According to his mother Shinder Kaur and sister, residents of a Kapurthala village, the torture was filmed to extort money from the three men's families. "They also ordered Balwinder to be shot to death, but he escaped. After travelling a long distance, he reached a city and contacted us after five months," they said. Seechewal, who is in Canada at present, has taken up the issue with the ministry of external affairs and contacted the Indian embassy in Colombia, urging them to take swift action to ensure Balwinder's safe return. Shinder said Balwinder was her only son. She has two daughters, while her husband is suffering from a chronic illness. She said the agents assured them that Balwinder would reach the US safely. In a bid to fund Balwinder's journey, the family sold their three acres of land and even their house, giving Rs 28 lakh to the agents. Four persons named in an application to the Kapurthala SSP hail from the village of Amritpur, Kapurthala. Balwinder left home in July 2024 with hopes of reaching the US, but was instead taken through multiple countries and eventually left stranded in Colombia, where he was handed over to the 'donkers' (human traffickers). Tired of too many ads? go ad free now "There, he met four other young men from Punjab and Haryana who were also being held captive. The gang seized their passports and phones, held them in jungle camps, and continuously demanded money from their families. When payments were not made, the captives were subjected to horrific torture," Shinder and her daughter said. They said as was visible in the videos of the torture, the traffickers used plastic bags to suffocate victims, applied hot metal rods to their skin, poured melted plastic on their bodies, and inflicted cuts on their bodies using blades. From an adjacent room, Balwinder could hear the screams of the tortured victims.
Time of India
5 days ago
- Time of India
Punjab youth escapes traffickers in Colombia: Donkey route survivor speaks out; family seeks MEA help
JALANDHAR: The family of 25-year-old Balwinder Singh, a US-bound youth traversing the donkey route who escaped from the clutches of human traffickers in Colombia's jungles, has approached Rajya Sabha member Baba Balbir Singh Seechewal to help his return to India. They have provided videos of the torture meted out by the traffickers upon three other men from Punjab and Haryana. Seechewal's office has forwarded these videos to Kapurthala police, as the family submitted a complaint for action against four local agents. Balwinder had left home for the US a year ago. According to his mother Shinder Kaur and sister, residents of a Kapurthala village, the torture was filmed to extort money from the three men's families. "They also ordered Balwinder to be shot to death, but he escaped. After travelling a long distance, he reached a city and contacted us after five months," they said. Seechewal, who is in Canada at present, has taken up the issue with the ministry of external affairs and contacted the Indian embassy in Colombia, urging them to take swift action to ensure Balwinder's safe return. Shinder said Balwinder was her only son. She has two daughters, while her husband is suffering from a chronic illness. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 5 Books Warren Buffett Wants You to Read In 2025 Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo She said the agents assured them that Balwinder would reach the US safely. In a bid to fund Balwinder's journey, the family sold their three acres of land and even their house, giving Rs 28 lakh to the agents. Four persons named in an application to the Kapurthala SSP hail from the village of Amritpur, Kapurthala. Balwinder left home in July 2024 with hopes of reaching the US, but was instead taken through multiple countries and eventually left stranded in Colombia, where he was handed over to the 'donkers' (human traffickers). "There, he met four other young men from Punjab and Haryana who were also being held captive. The gang seized their passports and phones, held them in jungle camps, and continuously demanded money from their families. When payments were not made, the captives were subjected to horrific torture," Shinder and her daughter said. They said as was visible in the videos of the torture, the traffickers used plastic bags to suffocate victims, applied hot metal rods to their skin, poured melted plastic on their bodies, and inflicted cuts on their bodies using blades. From an adjacent room, Balwinder could hear the screams of the tortured victims.
Hindustan Times
6 days ago
- Hindustan Times
Torture by iron rods, electric shocks: What Punjab youth endured on ‘donkey' route to US
A harrowing tale of illegal immigration has come to light as five youths — four from Punjab and one from Haryana — attempting to reach the United States through the notorious 'donkey route', fell victim to brutal torture at the hands of human traffickers in Colombia. According to the family, Balwinder was abducted by a gang known as 'donkers', which operates in the jungles of Panama and Colombia, in February 2025. (HT) The ordeal surfaced after the family of Balwinder Singh (25) from a village in Kapurthala district filed a complaint with local authorities, accusing four travel agents of duping them of ₹28 lakh under the pretext of facilitating legal travel to the US. 'Third-degree torture in jungles' According to the family, Balwinder was abducted by a gang known as 'donkers', which operates in the jungles of Panama and Colombia, in February 2025. The gang allegedly subjected the youths to third-degree torture to extort ransom from their families. Chilling videos of the intense torture, including use of iron roads, electric shocks, inflicting injuries on the youths with sharp blades, asphyxiation bids with plastic bags and burning plastics bottles on the body of the victims, went viral on the social media. Balwinder's mother Shinder Kaur said the family first received a torture video on February 13, after which the abductors demanded a large sum of money. Despite multiple ransom threats, the family refused to pay, and all communication with Balwinder ceased for over three months. Kaur said her son was accompanied by three other youths from the Doaba region and one from Haryana. Escape from captivity On May 29, Balwinder finally contacted his family and recounted his escape. He revealed that the gang had issued orders to execute the captives after some families refused to pay. According to him, three of the five youths were killed, while he and another survivour managed to flee through dense forests before reaching a safe residential area in Colombia. 'The gang seized their passports and phones and held them in jungle camps. When the families didn't pay, they tortured the youths in unspeakable ways,' said Shinder Kaur. Complaint against travel agents Balwinder's family has filed a formal complaint with Kapurthala senior superintendent of police Gaurav Toora against four local travel agents — Harbhajan Singh, Malkeet Singh, Sonu, and another Balwinder Singh — all residents of Kapurthala. The agents allegedly promised legal passage to the US for ₹32 lakh, settling the deal at ₹28 lakh. Rajya Sabha member Balbir Singh Seechewal, currently in Canada, has taken up the matter with the ministry of external affairs. He confirmed that the Indian embassy in Colombia has assured support and expedited the issuance of a new passport for Balwinder. His return flight to India has already been booked. This incident adds to growing concerns over illegal immigration. In February 2025, a special US military aircraft deported 333 Indians, including 129 from Punjab, following a crackdown by US authorities on undocumented migrants.
Indian Express
05-07-2025
- Indian Express
Punjab man falls victim to human trafficking, stuck in Colombia
The family of a 25-year-old youth from Punjab's Kapurthala district approached the police on Saturday, revealing the horrors he faced during his five-month captivity in a Colombian jungle at the hands of human traffickers, locally called 'donkers'. Balwinder Singh's journey began in July 2024 when his family sent him abroad through local travel agents, hoping he would reach the United States. Instead of a direct route, however, he was shuffled through multiple countries and ultimately abandoned in Colombia. On February 13, 2025, he fell into the hands of the 'donkers', his family told the police, adding that three other Indian youths died due to extreme physical torture, as the traffickers allegedly tried to extort more money from their families. An FIR is yet to be registered. Speaking from a safe location in Colombia after his escape, Balwinder revealed that he was part of a group of five Indian youths—four from Punjab and one from Haryana—who were kidnapped and held in inhuman conditions by the traffickers. According to Singh, the group was detained in a remote jungle, where they were subjected to brutal torture. Videos of the abuse were circulated on social media to pressure families into paying additional funds. Methods of torture allegedly included being burned with hot iron rods, having melted plastic poured onto bare skin, being cut with blades, and being tied up with plastic bags. The captives were allegedly denied food, clean water, and other necessities. Singh told his family narrowly escaped death after his captors ordered him to be shot. He managed to flee and trekked over 600 km on foot for days through treacherous terrain before reaching a city in Colombia, where he was able to contact his family for the first time in five months. Singh's family had paid ₹28 lakh to four local travel agents, who initially demanded ₹32 lakh and promised direct travel to the United States. However, once he left the country in July 2024, his passport and phone were confiscated, and he was routed through several countries before being abandoned in Colombia. 'He is the only brother to two sisters, and his father is chronically ill,' his mother, Shinder Kaur, said. 'We sold our house and 3.5 acres of land to send him abroad. We never imagined it would turn into a nightmare,' she added. When Singh called from Colombia and narrated his experience to his family in early June, the family reached out to their local MP, Rajya Sabha member, Sant Balbir Singh Seechewal, who was in Canada at the time. Seechewal contacted the Ministry of External Affairs and the Indian Embassy in Colombia. With their assistance, efforts are underway to ensure his safe return. 'This is a deeply disturbing case,' said Seechewal. 'As soon as I was informed, I coordinated with the ministry and embassy officials to bring the youth back safely. These illegal immigration networks must be dismantled. Balwinder's story is a grim reminder of the dangers of illegal migration and the urgent need for stricter regulation and awareness to protect families from such exploitation,' he added.
Indian Express
05-06-2025
- Indian Express
Ex-serviceman who shot son dead, injured wife often used to threaten to kill them: FIR
The 55-year-old ex-serviceman, Baljinder Singh, who allegedly shot dead his son and left his wife injured at their residence in Buani village of Ludhiana district late Tuesday night, would often threaten the mother-son duo to kill them after getting drunk. A police complaint was also registered against him in this connection earlier, his brother-in-law (wife's brother), Takwinder Singh, told Khanna police. An 'inebriated' Baljinder allegedly opened fire from his 32-bore licensed pistol at his wife, Balwinder Kaur, 52, and son Jagmeet Singh, 26, following a heated argument. Jagmeet suffered three bullet injuries in his chest and stomach and died on the spot, while Balwinder is undergoing treatment at a hospital in Ludhiana and is stated to be stable, police said. Khanna police booked Baljinder Singh for murder under section 103 of the BNS and section 27 of the Arms Act at the Doraha police station on the statement of Balwinder's brother, Takwinder Singh of Jassar village. Takwinder stated in his complaint that Balwinder married Baljinder over 30 years ago, and the couple had two sons, another being Manpreet, 28. 'They never had a pleasant relationship, as Baljinder mostly used to stay out during his service in the Army. However, after his retirement 7-8 years ago, he started a private school bus business,' the complainant said. 'While staying with his family after retirement, he would get drunk daily and fight with his wife and younger son, threatening to kill them with his pistol. In 2024, a police complaint was filed, and Doraha police initiated preventive action against him. But he started abusing his wife and son again,' the complainant alleged. Takwinder alleged that Tuesday night, his sister told him over the phone that Baljinder was again misbehaving with them. 'I visited them immediately and found Baljinder furious and misbehaving with everyone. I tried to pacify him, and when I was about to leave their house, Baljinder again took out his weapon and said that he would finish his wife and son. He opened fire, targeting them before my eyes. Jagmeet suffered bullet injuries in his chest and stomach, while Balwinder got bullets in her back. They were rushed to a hospital in Ludhiana while Baljinder fled the scene. Jagmeet died,' the complainant stated. Doraha police station SHO Inspector Akash Dutt said, 'Earlier too, action was taken against Baljinder and he was detained on his wife's complaint as he used to threaten and abuse them after getting drunk. The accused is absconding and is yet to be arrested. His son's autopsy will be conducted on Thursday, and his wife is stable now.'
