25 travel agents booked for illegally advertising jobs: Punjab police

Twenty-five travel agents in Punjab have been booked for illegally advertising employment opportunities on social media, said police on Wednesday.

The action came after the Protector of Emigrants under the Ministry of External Affairs red-flagged the advertising on social media for jobs in foreign countries by such unscrupulous travel agencies.

In a statement, Additional Director General of Police (NRI Affairs) Praveen K Sinha said these travel agencies were advertising jobs abroad without possessing the requisite licence and permissions.

"We checked the online platforms, verified their credentials covertly and registered FIRs against them," he said, adding that a total of 20 FIRs have been registered under the Emigration Acts at various NRI police stations in Amritsar, Jalandhar, Kapurthala, Hoshiarpur, Ludhiana, Patiala, Sangrur and SAS Nagar.

The ADGP said this operation specifically targeted those illegal travel agents, who were advertising on online platforms, offering promisi