Foreign dreams turned sour for a family whose dream of sending their son to the USA turned into a nightmare after an 18-year-old youth from Ferozepur district allegedly went missing while being trafficked through the illegal “donkey route.”In this connection, the police have booked three persons, including a woman, for allegedly duping the family of Rs 44 lakh on the pretext of arranging legal passage for their son to the USA.Talking to The Tribune, Malkeet Singh, father of the missing boy, Chhinderpal Singh, resident of Khunder Gatti village, said after failing to find suitable employment post completion of his Class 12, his son decided to look for greener pastures abroad.”We sacrificed everything we had for our son’s future. We mortgaged our land and jewellery and even borrowed money from relatives because we believed he would reach America and build a better life,” he said.Malkeet alleged that Chhinderpal was sent from Delhi in December 2024, but instead of being taken to the US, he was abandoned in Guyana.“Four days later, he managed to contact us and informed us that he had been deceived and was being taken through the donkey route,” said Malkeet.Mindo Bai, mother of Chhinderpal, alleged that her son was subsequently moved to Mexico, where he remained stranded for nearly a year along with other migrants.“During occasional phone calls, he would break down while describing the hardships he faced. He repeatedly complained of physical and mental harassment and said that additional money was being demanded despite the family having already paid the agreed amount,” said Mindo Bai.With tears in her eyes, Mindo Bai said she longs to see her son’s face and hear his voice again. “My eyes have grown weary waiting for my child to return home,” she said.The family’s ordeal worsened after February 2026, when all communication with Chhinderpal suddenly stopped. Since then, they have neither received any phone calls nor any information about his whereabouts.Fearing for his safety, the family approached the police. The first complaint was submitted on February 26 this year, following which an investigation was initiated.DSP (City) Sukhwinder Singh said that the police have registered an FIR against the accused identified as Surinder Singh, Balwinder Singh and Kaushalya, all residents of Kalu Araiya Uthar village under Sections 318(4) and 61(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Section 13 of the Punjab Travel Professionals Regulation Act, 2012.He said that the matter was under investigation and further action would be taken as per law.