A court in Patiala in Punjab on Friday sentenced popular singer Daler Mehndi to two years in jail in human trafficking case dating back to 90s. He was, however, immediately granted bail.
Daler, who was incredibly popular pop Punjabi singer then, had illegally dropped off many individuals in the US after taking them as part of his troupe. The 50-year-old singer along with his brother Shamser Singh were accused of charging hefty money from the individuals for taking them to the US illegally.
They were accused of taking at least six individuals abroad on two occasions, in 1998 and 1999. In 1998, he took a group of people as part of a trip to San Francisco with an Indian actress. He was then believed to have dropped off three girls there.
A year later, he again travelled to the US in the company of other actors. But this time, he was accused of having dropped off three boys against hefty money. Both brothers were also accused of fraud after dozens of complaints were filed against them by individuals, who said that they had been duped despite having paid the ‘passage money.’
Police had even raided his office premises in New Delhi, where the cops seized many documents including the evidence suggesting how the two brothers had accepted the ‘passage money’ from the complainants.
Daler shot to fame in the 90s with several hit pop numbers including Tunak Tunak Tun, Bolo Ta Ra Ra and Saade Naal Rahoge Toh Aish Karoge.