Our Correspondent

Tarn Taran, February 9

Gurdev Singh Bara of Butala village in Kapurthala district, who was responsible for sending a couple to Armenia, has been arrested by the city police from Piddi village, 10 kms from here today.

The accused was one of a three-member gang who sent the couple after taking an amount of Rs 4 lakh leaving behind them to face the hardships there.

The issue was highlighted by AAP member of the Lok Sabha Bhagwant Mann through the social media which Sushma Swaraj, Union Foreign Minister, took seriously and helped in bringing back the couple to the country.

The couple, Shamsher Singh and his wife Pinki of Ibrahimwal (Kapurthala), were sent to Armenia by the fake travel agents led by Gurdev Singh after taking an amount of Rs 4 lakh two months back. The couple was assured by the members of the gang to settle them there after getting them jobs but failed to do so. The couple was facing hardships which was brought to the notice of Bhagwant Mann by the relatives of the victims.

The accused Gurdev Singh, besides his associates, Paramjit Kaur and Harpreet Kaur, have been booked under section 420 of the IPC and Section 13 of the Punjab Prevention of Human Smuggling Act-2012 by the Begowal police a few days back.

Deputy Superintendent of Police Sucha Singh Bal said the accused had been absconding and the district police was informed today that Gurdev Singh was moving around in the area in an Innova car. The city police led by sub-inspector Sukhraj Singh got the information through information technology, the location of their mobile, following which the police nabbed him from Piddi village.

A woman too was asked to be present in the car with the arrested accused but the police was refusing to give the details of the woman.

DSP Sucha Singh said the accused Gurdev Singh had been handed over to DSP Bhulath for further proceedings.