Mohali, June 30 -- 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 Rs.60 lakh by promising to send her legally to the United States.

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 Rs.35 lakh and assured her that the payment would be taken only af...