Punjab Police on Sunday said they booked 18 travel agents for illegally advertising job vacancies on social media.

This action was part of the crackdown against illegal travel agents.

The development closely followed the registration of at least 20 first information reports (FIRs) against 25 such illegal travel agencies in early August.

The number of illegal travel agencies booked now stands at 43.

The Foreign Office’s Protector of Emigrants has flagged advertising on Instagram and Facebook for overseas jobs by such unscrupulous travel agencies.

Additional Director General of Police (NRI Affairs) Praveen K Sinha said that these unscrupulous travel agencies were posting foreign job vacancies on Instagram and Facebook without having the required license and permissions.

“We have checked online platforms, verified their credentials secretly and registered FIRs against them,” he said, adding that a total of 18 new FIRs have been registered under the laws. emigration to various police stations including Amritsar, SAS Nagar, Ludhiana and Patiala. .

Sinha urged citizens to be careful and check the credentials of travel agents before entrusting them with documents and money.

“Only hire agencies that have a valid Recruitment Agent (RA) license under the Emigration Act 1983 and always ask for the agency’s license issued under the said Act. Verify, then trust, should be the operating principle when engaging travel agents,” he said. PTI