LOGO: DEADLY US DREAMSAhmedabad: A man who was deported to India after allegedly being taken to the US through an illegal immigration network on Saturday filed a criminal complaint at Adalaj police station, claiming he was cheated of crores of rupees and forced to work under exploitative conditions. The complainant alleged that four ‘agents’ lured him with promises of legal migration and employment in the US but instead subjected his family to financial exploitation and coercion. The complainant also told police that the main accused in this case is linked to the tragedy in which four of a family from Dingucha froze to death trying to the enter the US illegally. According to the complaint, the man wanted to travel to the US for business opportunities when he came into contact with a “network” that claimed it could arrange his journey. In the complaint, the victim quoted one of the accused saying that the total cost for him and his parents would be Rs 3.20 crore, and that he would have to pay the accused 1% interest on that amount every month. The complainant said he agreed, believing the process would be legitimate and that he would be provided work in the US to repay the amount.The complainant further alleged that the agents arranged forged immigration documents and put fake stamps in passports to create a fabricated travel history to support visa applications. The accused admitted to the fabrication, allegedly telling the complainant that all the stamps in the passport were fake. The man and his parents were first sent to Canada, where their visas were cancelled, forcing them to seek asylum. They were then allegedly guided by an intermediary to cross the US border on foot at night. After entering the US, the family was reportedly taken to a city where the complainant and his family were forced to work for 14 to 16 hours a day under harsh conditions. He alleged that the promised wage of $10 per hour was later reduced to $3 per hour. When he protested, the accused allegedly told him that he would be forced to work there “like a slave” and false cases could be filed against him in the US if he tried to leave. The man claimed the accused threatened to harm his relatives in India if he approached police.The complainant returned to India in Sep 2025 after being deported, while his parents are still believed to be in the US. He alleged that the accused continued to demand Rs 2.7 crore, despite the family already paying around Rs 1.95 crore. Police said an investigation was initiated into allegations of cheating, human trafficking, extortion, and criminal intimidation.
