Man taken captive, tortured in Malaysia

Thrashed with iron rods for 20 days, burnt with cigarettes

Ludhiana, August 11Dream of a resident of Jagirpur, who whished to settle in a foreign country, turned sour after he was taken captive and tortured at Darul Ehsan in Malaysia for 20 days. Gurcharan Singh like any other Punjabi youth was excited about starting his life afresh till July 21.
But he was hardly aware that on reaching Malaysia he would be tortured and the master of his fate would burn his skin cigarettes and thrash him with iron rods. His wounds had turned sore that maggot had started eating it.
Manmohan Maan, a native of Malaysia, got a whiff of the atrocities on Gurcharan and contacted with Gurcharan’s family in India and managed to get him deported.
Gurcharan (26) is thankful to Manmohan for saving his life. He said, “I am receiving psychiatric treatment at Dayanand Medical College and Hospital (DMCH). I had paid Rs 1.12 lakh to Nirmal Singh, a Raikot- based travel agent, who assured to get me a one-year working visa. His son Baljinder Singh (20) also boarded the flight with me. On landing in Malaysia, Baljinder’s sister Manjinder Kaur, who is married to Manmohan Maan, took us a nursing home of her husband in Darul Ehsan. I started working in that nursing home.”
“After a days work, Baljinder took me to a pub where a tall South- Indian youth took me to an enclosure. He handcuffed me and told Baljinder to leave the place. He told me that I would have to undergo some tests if I want to stay here. He tied my hands and hanged me in the mid-air. Then he started smashing iron rods on my legs. His friends joined after he finished. They him my private part as well. I was then loosened. I remained unconscious for nearly 30 minutes. I, somehow, managed to reach the nursing home. I don’t know why I was thrashed,” said Gurcharan.
“The next day when I sitting with Manjinder, she put something in my drink. I was in delirium. I cried in pain after she suddenly burnt a cigarette butt on my leg,” Gurcharan added.
Baljinder thrashed Gurcharan for a fortnight. He was warned against telling anyone. “My parents had arranged money with great difficulty. So I endured everything quietly,” said Gurcharan Singh, while showing his wounds.
Kamaljit Kaur, sister of Gurcharan, said, “Every time I used to contact and ask them to give phone to my brother, the used refuse. I complained to Nirmal Singh, father of Baljinder Singh, about it.” Manmohan Maan said: “I didn’t knew that my wife and her brother were running a travel agency and conning innocent youths. When I came to know about it, I established contact with Gurcharan’s family and made arrangements so that he could return. I don’t know whether Gurcharan used to take drug or whether he was drugged.”
Their father Nirmal Singh took Manjinder and Baljinder, who came along with Gurcharan from Malaysia, away. But, Gurcharan was left to fend for himself in Delhi. “Fortunately I had some Indian coins. I rang up my friend who further arranged the money for me to reach the city,” Gurcharan said and added that Nirmal Singh had sent nearly six persons on work permit.
“When he left from here he was normal. But when he returned home yesterday, I was shocked to see him. He was out his mind and was crying profusely like a little child,” said Kamaljit Kaur. The family has lodged a complaint with the Commissioner of Police.