JIND: Smugglers shot dead a Haryana youth who was attempting to enter the US through the illegal ‘dunki’ route after holding him captive in Guatemala, according to his family members.Yuvraj (18), the only son of his parents, was from Mohna village in Pundri town of Kaithal district. He left for the US on Oct 13, 2024. The family said they came to know about his fate last week after a death certificate sent from one of the smugglers, allegedly issued from Mexico, mentioned that he died on March 4 from a bullet injury. Last year, agents struck a Rs 41-lakh deal with Yuvraj’s parents, assuring them payment would only be taken after he reached his destination. Despite this, they took Rs 25 lakh in advance under various pretexts, said Yuvraj’s father Kuldeep. Soon after the initial payment, the family lost contact with him. Some months later, they received chilling videos showing Yuvraj, along with a youth from Punjab, being held hostage in Guatemala. In the videos, the smugglers could be seen forcing both the youths to lie face down on the floor while slapping and beating them. They loaded their pistols and threatened to kill them, demanding nearly Rs 17.5 lakh for Yuvraj’s release, Kuldeep said. In his last recorded message, Yuvraj was seen pleading with his family. “Papa ji, they have taken us hostage. They are beating us badly. They will kill us… please send the money. Otherwise, they will kill us,” he begged. The distressed family met with the Kaithal superintendent of police (SP) in March to demand action against the agents and to ensure the youth’s safe return. However, their hopes were dashed after they somehow contacted one of the smugglers, Paul, a Nepalese national. “He told us that Yuvraj had been killed. When we asked for proof, he demanded money. We transferred 1,500 US dollars to his account. After that, he sent us photographs of the body and a copy of the death certificate,” said Yuvraj’s uncle Kulwant. Kulwant told TOI that three agents from Haryana—Devender Cheem, Navjot Dushain, and Navneet alias Neetu alias Michael—were involved. Navneet, from Hasanpur village in Kurukshetra, is the mastermind behind the entire conspiracy, he alleged. Yuvraj’s mother Sarabjit Kaur said, “Everything is destroyed now… I have lost all hope in life because my support is gone forever.” She added with a choked voice, “God will not spare those who did this to my son.”