Pop singer Daler Mehndi convicted for human trafficking

Pop singer Daler Mehndi convicted for human trafficking, gets bail.

Punjabi pop singer Daler Mehndi, who is the elder brother of Bollywood singer Mika Singh, was convicted today by a court in Patiala in Punjab for 2-years in jail in case of human trafficking that dates back to 2003.

Soon after he was convicted of the charges, Mehndi was granted bail by the court to appeal before the higher court. Besides Daler, his brother Shamsher Singh, too has been convicted.

They have been found guilty of illegally sending people abroad under the guise as members of his troupe by charging hefty money with a promise to relocate them overseas. The Mehndi brothers had taken troupes in 1998 and 1999 to the US where as many as ten persons who were group members were ‘left out’ illegally.

Nearly 35 people complained to the police for charging heavy sums of money on the promise to relocate them in the USA. A case against the Mehndi brothers was registered by the Patiala police on a complaint by one Bakshish Singh. Other complaints followed. Documents and details of the transactions were seized by the police after residences of the pop singer were raided.

Three years after the case was filed, the Punjab police in 2006 filed discharge petitions in the Court claiming the innocence of Daler Mehndi. However, the court did not agree to this plea. The court ordered that Daler Mehndi be made a part of the trial given that there was sufficient evidence against him for further investigation and trial.