Indian singer convicted of trafficking jobseekers to America
NEW DELHI — A popular Indian pop singer was convicted of human trafficking and cheating Friday by a court that found he took money to pretend people were in his performance troupe so they could get jobs in North America.
Daler Mehndi said he is innocent. The court in the northern city of Patiala sentenced him to two years in prison but freed him on bail while he challenges his conviction in an appeals court.
Prosecutors said Mehndi and his brother took “passage money” from Indians they offered to disguise as performers in his troupe. The jobseekers could then stay in the United States and Canada to find work.
The cheating conviction alleges the brothers took money from some Indians and never took them abroad. They filed police complaints in 2003.