Indian Man Jailed For Using Uber To Smuggle 800+ People In The USA

A 49-year-old Indian man named Rajinder Pal Singh, also known as Jaspal Gill, was found guilty of sneaking over 800 Indians into the US using Uber and received a sentence of more than three years in prison. Singh, a resident of California, pleaded guilty in February for having made more than USD 500,000 as a key participant in a smuggling group.

According to the Department of Justice, Singh trafficked hundreds of Indians into Washington State over a four-year period from Canada. Acting US Attorney Tessa M. Gorman gave Singh a 45-month sentence for conspiring to smuggle and harbour immigrants for financial gain as well as money laundering.

Gorman highlighted that Singh’s actions risked the safety of people being transported from India to the US. Singh's scheme took advantage of immigrants' aspirations for a better life in the US and left them up to USD 70,000 in debt.

Between July 2018 and April 2022, the 17 Uber accounts used by the trafficking group charged more than USD 80,000. Singh and his companions used Uber to smuggle passengers from Canada to Seattle. Singh arranged roughly 600 flights for smuggled Indian people from the middle of 2018 to May 2022.

The trafficking group deployed advanced means for laundering the money. Singh's plea bargain admitted the complex financial manoeuvres used to conceal illegal payments. At Singh's California residence, authorities discovered fake identification documents and USD 45,000 in cash. Singh, a non-citizen, might be sent back home after serving his sentence.