MANPREET SINGH, 24, did odd jobs in Gill village, Kapurthala. Kulraj Singh, 27, drove a truck in Jalandhar. A local agent promised them hospitality jobs in Spain. No upfront payment. "You first reach Spain, then pay as you earn," they were told.
On June 30, they left. Instead of Spain, they landed in Thailand. Then came calls to their families from a man calling himself "Khan Baba": Pay Rs 15 lakh each or else.
Manpreet's family managed to pay up, ensuring his return. Kulraj's couldn't arrange the full amount. Kulraj is now in a jail in Thailand after a "wrong tip-off" by his kidnappers, families say.
Their cases are not isolated. In the last 11 months, several similar cases have emerged from Punjab. Young men promised jobs in Spain, Australia, South Korea, but ended up in Thailand, Iran, Ethiopia and Kenya, lured by different agents. All families told police they received calls from "Khan Baba".Kapurthala SSP Gaurav Toora says complaints are being examined case-by-case. Agent Sanjeev Kumar from Kapurthala, who facilitated Manpreet and Kulraj's travel, admits making arrangements but blames Sumrit Kumar from Phagwara, now in Malaysia. Sumrit told him he would arrange Europe via Thailand first and obtain Spain visas.
Balbir Seechewal, AAP Rajya Sabha MP, has written to MEA, MHA and Punjab DGP seeking Interpol help. Police say they are examining call recordings. Sanjeev's banner outside his shop - "One Stop Solution For All Your Needs" - still lists 98159-61725.
Another case: Harbans Singh, a barber from Fatehgarh Sahib, promised a job in South Korea, landed in Ethiopia. Family got videos of him being beaten, then a call demanding Rs 25 lakh. Paid Rs 15 lakh. Rohit Kumar from Fazilka, promised South Korea, travelled through Bangkok, Sharjah, Dubai before reaching Ethiopia. Stripped, tied, beaten with rods for 26 days. "I thought I would never see my wife and children again." His family paid Rs 30 lakh in instalments - the last on April 20.
This is the new donkey route - not Libya-Mexico, but Thailand-Ethiopia, using African transit hubs where Indian networks blur with Pakistani agents. The victims fit a profile: modest families, barbers, drivers, labourers, borrowing Rs 15-70 lakh. The playbook is old - promise Europe, dump in a third country, extract ransom - but the geography is new. Addis Ababa to Shashemene is now part of Punjab's migration map, alongside Jalandhar's Sanjeev Enterprises.