PATIALA: Singer-composer Daler Mehndi was on Friday found guilty in a human trafficking case by a Patiala court in Punjab and sentenced two years in prison. The singer was taken into custody by the Punjab Police soon following his conviction.

He had charged, along with his brother Shamsher, for sending people abroad unlawfully, under the shows of his dancing troupes and charging excessive 'passage fees' in return.

As many as 35 charges of various rackets were levelled against the two brothers for charging 'passage fees' in return of 'relocation' to the USA but deteriorating to do so.

It had been allegations that Mehndi brothers had taken two troupes in 1998 and 1999 during the course of which 10 persons were taken to the USA as group members and were “dropped off” unlawfully.

Daler, on a trip to the USA in the company of an actress, had reportedly “dropped off” three girls at San Francisco.

Both brothers took one more troupe to the USA in October 1999 in the company of some other actors during which three boys were “dropped off” at New Jersey.

In 2006, Patiala Police had lodged two discharge petitions stating Daler Mehndi to be not guilty but the court had sustained that the singer is prosecuted as there was “sufficient evidence against him on the judicial file and scope for further investigation” as ZEE news reported.