Chandigarh, Feb. 18 -- The special investigation team (SIT) of Punjab Police, tasked with probing the human trafficking angle in the deportation of Punjab natives from the United States, has struggled to make significant progress as many complainants have named foreign-based agents as key figures in the network, making arrests challenging.

According to a senior SIT member, 10 FIRs have been registered based on complaints from deportees. However, in at least five cases, the main accused are sitting abroad. "As our investigation is in its early stages, we are identifying local operatives who collected money on behalf of foreign-based agents," the official said.

Most payments were made in cash through local conduits, though some transactio...