Boy missing in Latvia: 2 months on, Kapurthala police book travel agents

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, August 22

Two months after Bholath-based Bobby Chand filed a police complaint against some travel agents saying his 19-year-old son sent to Latvia by them has gone missing, the Kapurthala police have registered an FIR in the case.

The FIR was lodged on August 21, a day after The Tribune highlighted the plight of Bobby in a story titled “Headed for Russia, Kapurthala youth missing in Latvia”.

According to the FIR, Sagar had left India in January for Russia. He was sent to Latvia (enroute to Finland) via ‘donkey route’ by a Kapurthala-based agent. Even after seven months, he neither reached France nor returned home.

The accused identified as Rajinder Kumar of Kartarpur in Jalandhar and Gaurav Kumar of Bhawanigarh in Sangrur have been booked under Sections 420 and 406 of the IPC and Section 13 of the Punjab Travel Professionals (Regulation) Act, 2014.

Bobby told the police that his neighbour Rajni persuaded him to send his son Sagar abroad through her brother Rajinder. In October 2023, Rajinder met them at Rajni’s house and promised to send Sagar to Finland for Rs 14 lakh.

Over the course of time, Bobby paid Rs 7.20 lakh to the agent and gave 1,000 US dollars to Sagar as he went to Russia on January 6. On February 27, Sagar called his father to say that he was headed to Germany and was about to cross the border. It was the last time Bobby spoke to his son. Bobby alleged that Rajinder assured him that the Latvian army had arrested Sagar and Gaurav would ensure safe return of three boys to Belarus. Later, Sagar’s friends told Bobby on the phone that he had died on the way. On May 29, Bobby received a phone call from the Bholath police to ascertain the identity of his son.

Kapurthala SSP Vatsala Gupta said, “An FIR has been registered in the case. The accused have been booked. The police are on the lookout for them.”