Twelve Indian nationals, who were deported to Panama by the US, returned to India from the Latin American nation on Sunday evening, officials said.
The deportees arrived at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi, marking the first batch of Indians returning from Panama following their deportation by the US.
The 12 Indians are learnt to be part of 299 undocumented migrants deported to Panama by the US a few days back.
The Trump administration has begun a mass deportation programme of foreign nationals living illegally in the US.
Over 300 Indians have already been deported to India by the US in three different flights this month.
The group, which was detained in a hotel in Panama after being sent back from the US, was transported by a commercial flight to Delhi, with four of the deported individuals from Punjab later being sent to Amritsar via a domestic flight.
The four people from Punjab have been identified as Maninder Dutt (23) from Jalandhar, Jatinder Singh (34) from Patiala, and Jugraj Singh (33) and Harpreet Singh (30), both from Gurdaspur.
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According to preliminary reports from Indian authorities, the four men had entered South America through European countries, including the Netherlands and Spain. Three of them then entered Surinam, Guyana in South America and then went to Columbia from where they entered Panama while one went to El Salvador directly from Spain.
Confirming their arrival, Amritsar Deputy Commissioner Sakshi Sawhney said they arrived at Sri Guru Ram Das Ji International Airport here from Delhi via a commercial flight.
She added that they all had paid huge amounts to illegal travel agents to facilitate their ‘dunki travel.
Earlier, three batches of illegal Indian immigrants were brought back from the US in a military aircraft on February 5, 15 and 16.
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The landing of US military aircraft carrying illegal Indian immigrants at the Amritsar airport had triggered sharp reactions from several political leaders in Punjab. CM Bhagwant Mann had questioned the Centre’s move to land planes bringing deportees at Amritsar airport, accusing it of trying to defame Punjab under a conspiracy. —With PTI Inputs
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
