Daijiworld Media Network - Amritsar
Amritsar, Feb 16: A United States military plane carrying the second batch of 119 Indian deportees landed in Amritsar on Saturday, with two individuals immediately arrested by Punjab Police for their involvement in a murder case.
The arrested men, identified as cousins Sandeep and Pradeep from Rajpura, were wanted in a 2023 murder case in Patiala district. Declared proclaimed offenders, they were booked under multiple sections of the Indian Penal Code, including murder (302), attempt to murder (307), and rioting (148, 149). However, no 'Look Out Circular' had been issued against them, police said.
The deportation comes as part of the Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration. Of the 119 deportees, 67 were from Punjab, 33 from Haryana, eight from Gujarat, three from Uttar Pradesh, and the rest from states including Goa, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, and Jammu & Kashmir.
At Amritsar airport, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann criticized the use of the city as a landing hub for deportation flights. "Do not make our holy city a deport centre… Amritsar is known for the Golden Temple, Jallianwala Bagh, and Gobindgarh Fort. Would they allow deportation flights to land in Vatican City?" he remarked.
The first batch of 104 Indian deportees had also arrived on a US military flight in Amritsar on February 5.