Human trafficking: A case of deceived aspiring emigrants in Punjab

Exploratory in nature, the study conducted on 120 deceived aspiring emigrants from purposively selected two districts of Doaba region in Punjab revealed that most of the respondents had education only up to school level. Majority of those who applied for visa to foreign countries belonged to general caste. Most of the respondents wanted to go to Canada but on travel agent's suggestion opted for other countries. It was found that more than half of the respondents came to know about fraud within six months of applying for visa, whereas one third came to know within a year that they had been cheated of fraudulent travel agents. The amount they lost in fraud varied from 50 thousand to five lakhs. There is an urgent need to aware the public about fraudulent cases through mass media. Government should formulate a specialized unit at the national level as agents from several states collaborate in their operation.