00:00As plane loads of Indians deported by the United States arrive at the Amritsar airport
00:06in Punjab, the focus is back on dubious travel agents and human smugglers who are sending
00:12hordes of Indian citizens to foreign lands. India Today's special investigation team
00:17has exposed how this multi-million dollar racket operates out of major immigration hubs
00:22in the state of Punjab, where seamless services are offered from study visas to work permits
00:28to permanent residency applications. All of this being done completely illegally and
00:35for a hefty fee. Watch this special investigation by India Today's Nitin Jain.
00:46Chasing their dreams for a better, brighter future in a foreign land.
00:52Thousands of desperate Indian citizens risk dangerous, treacherous journeys.
01:02The aim is to settle down in the US, Canada, Australia or the UK.
01:11These illegal immigration routes entail physical risks and financial loss.
01:23In real life too, illegal immigration rackets are selling the same dream.
01:30At Krishna Enterprises in Jalandhar city, we met Sahil Verma and his business partner.
01:39We introduced ourselves as visitors from Gujarat,
01:44seeking assistance in sending our grown-up children abroad. After our interaction with Sahil,
01:52we later found that Krishna Enterprises is not even registered with the government
01:59to deal with visa and immigration matters. Sahil explained the different options available to us.
02:21He clarified that he could arrange for them to enter Europe, but not on a Schengen visa.
02:37Instead, he proposed the Serbia to Italy route using the donkey method via a taxi.
02:46We were worried about safety, but Sahil clarified
02:50that there were different types of donkey routes,
02:52and the cost depends on the mode of journey one chooses.
03:00Is this a jungle or a farm?
03:02No, it's not a jungle.
03:04What do you call a donkey?
03:06Donkey is one of a kind.
03:08The more money you spend, the more donkeys you get.
03:11Sahil even mentioned that though America was deporting illegal immigrants,
03:16he could still send people into the US through the donkey routes.
03:21Today, if you ask me to send a person from the US or India, I will do it by air.
03:29The money will be paid in two steps.
03:33We don't charge anything in advance.
03:35All our payments are done in two steps.
03:37You call it a donkey.
03:39A donkey costs 25 lakhs.
03:41If you call it a donkey,
03:43we charge 25 lakhs.
03:45If you call it a donkey,
03:47we charge 25 lakhs.
03:51To prove his credibility,
03:53Sahil showed us a recent video
03:55of people being smuggled
03:57using the donkey route.
04:01He claimed that two of his clients
04:03had successfully crossed over
04:05using this method.
04:17Sahil even admitted that his business partner
04:20had sent his own child
04:22via the donkey route
04:24to the US.
04:36Immigration consultants in Jalandhar
04:38also openly offer
04:40political asylum
04:42to those willing to pay.
04:45Our investigation
04:47led us
04:49to one such consultancy.
04:51The visa engineers.
04:55We met consultant Raman
04:57at the visa engineer's office
04:59in Jalandhar.
05:15We have a tourist visa.
05:17It is not valid.
05:19We apply for an asylum
05:21to avoid going back to India.
05:25Our man is there.
05:27He will get it done.
05:33Raman further advised
05:35that we would need to participate
05:37in political rallies
05:39and get photographs clicked
05:41as proof
05:44to strengthen our case
05:46for asylum.
05:49What do we have to show you?
05:53For asylum?
05:55Yes.
05:57We will tell you
05:59where to go
06:01and what to do.
06:03We will tell you
06:05where to go
06:07and what to do.
06:11Raman assured us
06:13that their lawyer would apply
06:15for political asylum
06:18with the documents provided.
06:22The initial embassy fee
06:24would be 1.85 lakhs
06:26and the full payment
06:28would be taken only
06:30after the visa was granted.
06:32If any document is missing,
06:34they would arrange it
06:36for an additional fee.
06:42The maximum charges
06:44would be for the messy visa.
06:47We will arrange for the visa.
07:01This investigation exposes
07:03the lucrative business
07:05of fake political asylum applications.
07:09Revealing how agents
07:11and legal intermediaries
07:13are manipulating the system
07:16to facilitate immigration
07:18to Canada
07:20under false pretext.
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