Deported from US, U.P. youth return to their homes in Muzaffarnagar, Pilibhit
Like many others, the trio took the treacherous ‘dunki’ route to illegally enter the US in search of a better life for themselves and their families back home.
Three men from Uttar Pradesh, including two from Muzaffarnagar and one from Pilibhit, who were among the deportees landing in Amritsar in a US military plane—allegedly in shackles—arrived at their homes on Thursday.
Like many others, the trio took the treacherous ‘dunki’ route to illegally enter the US in search of a better life for themselves and their families back home. Derived from a Punjabi idiom, “dunki” roughly translates to “hop from place to place.”
Becoming popular in common parlance following the release of Shah Rukh Khan’s Dunki in 2023, it refers to illegal immigration that involves crossing borders through covert stops in multiple countries, mostly facilitated by agents. Gurpreet Singh, 24, from Pilibhit district, Rakshit Baliyan, 19, from Rasulpur Jatan village, and Devindra Singh, 38, from Marakpur village in Muzaffarnagar district were among the 104 Indians deported by the Donald Trump administration as part of a crackdown on illegal immigrants.
Gurpreet Singh, a resident of Pooranpur’s Banjaria village in Pilibhit, reached the US about 22 days ago from the UK, his mother Jaswinder Kaur told reporters. He had gone to the UK in September 2022 after completing his intermediate studies, aiming to pursue a hotel management course. He informed his family 22 days ago that he had illegally entered the US, she said. However, the family lost all contact with him after their last phone conversation on January 14 and was later informed that he had been arrested and was being deported from the US two days ago.
Gurpreet Singh is the youngest of three brothers, with one sibling, Gurjeet Singh, serving in the Indian Army. On Thursday morning, the Delhi Police handed over Gurpreet Singh to its Uttar Pradesh counterparts, who brought him back to Pilibhit’s Pooranpur, informed Banjaria village head Gurdev Singh over the phone.
Inspector-in-charge of Pooranpur police station, Naresh Kumar Tyagi, also confirmed Gurpreet’s arrival and stated that the police had maintained his record in case of any future requirements.
Rakshit Baliyan’s father, Sudhir Baliyan, a retired Army jawan, said that his son had gone to the US seven months ago and was working in a private company. Sudhir Baliyan, who owns 20 bighas of agricultural land, said his son would continue his education.
“My son has passed his Class 12 examination. He will continue his education since he is interested in pursuing a BTech degree,” he said. As soon as Rakshit Baliyan arrived in India, his father sent him to Meerut to resume his studies.
Kulbir Singh, father of Devindra Singh, the other deportee from UP’s Muzaffarnagar, said his son had left for the US two months ago. He was caught shortly after arriving in the US and remained in custody at a detention camp until his deportation. Kulbir Singh, a small farmer with 15 bighas of agricultural land, paid ₹40 lakh to agents to send his son abroad.
“He went to the US to earn money for the family, but now all our money is gone,” he said.
Devindra Singh is now back in his village, reuniting with his wife, Harshjit Kaur, and their sons, Anshdeep and Vanshdeep.
With inputs from agencies