India, Feb. 26 -- Punjab Police conducted raids and search operations at 1,274 immigration firms across the state to protect the youth aspiring to settle abroad from falling prey to unscrupulous travel agents, officials said on Tuesday.

The operation against illegal travel agents was carried out on the directions of Punjab director general of police Gaurav Yadav simultaneously in all 28 police districts on Monday, they said.

The development came amid the ongoing crackdown against illegal travel agents across the state in the wake of the recent deportation of illegal Indian immigrants by the US.

Many of the deportees from Punjab and Haryana have alleged that they were duped by the travel agents. They claimed despite taking huge sums of ...