Daler Mehndi, a well-known singer, has been convicted to two years in prison by a Patiala court in connection with a human-trafficking case that dates back to 2003.
The verdict was announced during a review hearing following the singer’s 2018 conviction and two-year prison sentence. He was, however, granted bail and released.
Daler Mehndi and his brother Shamsher Singh have been charged in 31 separate cases since 2003.
The famous singer was convicted under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 406, 420, 120B, 465, 468, and 471, as well as the Indian Passport Act.
The musician and his brother were detained by authorities in October 2003 after the complainant claimed they cheated him out of a large quantity of money by promising to send him abroad as part of their musical group and leave him in some western country to settle.
Following an inquiry, police officials revealed that the singers and other performers had formed a well-organized ring to unlawfully transport youth from Punjab to western countries by posing as members of musical troupes. In each case, the kids were charged with up to Rs 2 million.
However, after police established that Daler Mehndi had nothing to do with the immigration fraud case, the complainant filed a new motion in court, opposing to the singer’s release. He said that both brothers had deceived him.
Daler Mehndi was arrested in 2003 at a police station in Patiala after a few junior policemen asked him to strip naked during interrogation. He was locked up for a few days before being released on bail.
