A Mohali woman, who spent nearly a year in a US immigration detention centre after being sent through an illegal “donkey route”, has accused an immigration agent of cheating her of ₹60 lakh by promising to send her legally to the United States.The complainant stated that apart from the ₹45 lakh paid to the accused, she spent another ₹15 lakh during the journey and subsequent detention, taking her total financial loss to ₹60 lakh. (HT File)Mandeep Kaur, a resident of Phase 3B2, told police that she wanted to travel to the US to care for her ailing mother after her visa application was rejected. In January 2024, she came in contact with Pradeep Singh of Kharar, who was associated with an immigration firm operating from Sector 17, Chandigarh.According to the complaint, Pradeep initially promised to arrange legal entry to the US through Mexico for ₹35 lakh and assured her that the payment would be taken only after she reached her destination. He later demanded ₹50 lakh, citing visa-related complications.Mandeep arranged money from relatives and handed over ₹45 lakh in cash to the accused at his residence in Soni Enclave, Kharar, on November 15, 2024.The following day, she received flight tickets routed through Spain and other countries. When she questioned the change in plan, the accused assured her that the route was safe.Instead, she was taken through an illegal route that involved crossing difficult terrain before she was apprehended by the US Border Patrol near the San Diego-Tijuana border. She remained in an immigration detention centre for nearly a year before being deported to India.The complainant stated that apart from the ₹45 lakh paid to the accused, she spent another ₹15 lakh during the journey and subsequent detention, taking her total financial loss to ₹60 lakh.An inquiry conducted by the police verified the complainant’s account. The inquiry concluded that the accused took ₹45 lakh on the false promise of arranging legal travel and instead facilitated her journey through Spain and Mexico, which resulted in her arrest and detention in the United States.Police have registered a case against Pradeep Singh under Sections 316(2) (criminal breach of trust) and 318(4) (cheating) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Section 13 of the Punjab Travel Professions Regulation Act, 13. No arrest have been made so far. A detailed probe is underway, officials said.