A teenager from Haryana's Kaithal district has been killed by human traffickers in Guatemala, about a year after he set out on the dangerous 'dunki' route to illegally enter the United States.
Identified as Yuvraj (18), Yuvraj's uncle Gurpej Singh told PTI that they learnt of his death a few days ago, when one of the 'donkers' (human traffickers) allegedly sent them a death certificate, as well as photos of him and another youth from Punjab, and said that both youths had been killed.
However, even this death certificate came at a cost—the family claimed that one of the 'donkers' demanded Rs 3 lakh for the death certificate and the photos.
The family paid this amount too—one of the last in a series of large sums of money that they claimed the 'donkers' extorted from them over the past year.
The death certificate, allegedly issued from Mexico, stated that the 18-year-old had succumbed to a bullet wound on March 4 this year, as per a Times of India report.
“Yuvraj had passed Class 12 and wanted to support his family. We were told he would reach the US safely through a network of contacts,” Singh added.
The family struck a deal worth Rs 41 lakh with agents for Yuvraj's safe passage to the US to find a job, having been assured that payment would only be needed later. Yet, they levied Rs 25 lakh in advance, citing various reasons.
Singh claimed that soon after that first payment, they lost all contact with Yuvraj. Months later, the family allegedly received ransom demands from the 'donkers', along with videos showing Yuvraj and the other youth being held hostage in Guatemala.
"Overall, the family has paid between Rs 40-50 lakh to the travel agents and the donkers,” Singh said, adding that the family had previously approached the police, after which two local agents were caught.
The family has also questioned whether the money they sent via the Haryana-based agents even reached the 'donkers' at all.
"Everything is destroyed now ... I have lost all hope in life because my support is gone forever ... God will not spare those who did this to my son," lamented Yuvraj's mother, Sarabjit Kaur.