On Friday, popular Punjabi singer Daler Mehndi was sentenced to two years in prison after being convicted in a human trafficking case of 2003 by the Patiala court. The singer was also almost immediately granted bail by the court soon after. The singer had been accused of illegally dropping off people abroad during his international concerts and tours.
Speaking to the media outside the Patiala court, Mehndi said that he would fight the case in a higher court:
I have been granted bail. We will appeal in higher court.Daler Mehndi
In 2003, Daler and his brother, Shamsher Singh, had been accused of illegally sending people abroad as part of members of his troupe in return of "passage money."
It had been alleged that Mehndi brothers had taken two troupes in 1998 and 1999 during the course of which 10 persons were taken to the US as group members and "dropped off" illegally.
Daler has been accused of “dropping off” three girls in San Francisco on a trip to the US. The two brothers were also accused of “dropping off” three boys in New Jersey in October 1999 on a trip to the US.
The Patiala Police had registered a case against Daler and Shamsher Mehndi following the complaint of Bakshish Singh.
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