The Aryavarth Express
New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED), probing the infamous ‘donkey’ or ‘dunki’ route case, has uncovered fresh evidence indicating that a key Haryana-based operator allegedly took property documents from candidates as collateral to ensure payment for facilitating illegal travel to the United States via Mexico.
The revelations emerged following raids conducted on December 18 at 13 locations across Punjab, Haryana, and Delhi by teams from the ED’s Jalandhar zonal office. During the searches, officials seized cash amounting to ₹4.62 crore, around 313 kg of silver, and 6 kg of gold bullion, with a total value estimated at ₹19.13 crore, from the premises of a Delhi-based travel agent.
According to ED officials, chats with other accused individuals and additional incriminating material linked to the dunki network were recovered during the operation. “From the premises of a key dunki operator in Haryana, records and documents related to the illegal migration business were found. It was revealed that he used to retain property documents of candidates as surety for payments for sending them to the US through the Mexico route,” officials told ANI. They added that incriminating documents and mobile phones were also seized from other locations covered under the searches.
The raids targeted what the agency described as “second and third layer persons involved in the chain” of the dunki syndicate. The ED initiated its investigation based on multiple FIRs registered by Punjab and Haryana Police in connection with the deportation of 330 Indian nationals from the US in February 2025 via military cargo planes.
Investigations revealed that the deported individuals had entered the US illegally through the dunki route, facilitated by a complex network involving travel agents, middlemen, carriers, overseas associates, hawala operators, and providers of lodging and logistical support. Earlier searches and evidence had already pointed to the involvement of second- and third-tier operatives in the network.
Among those whose premises were searched are Richi Travels in Jalandhar, Tarun Khosla in Delhi, and Balwan Sharma of Panipat.
Recently, the ED also attached assets worth ₹5.41 crore linked to individuals accused of generating proceeds of crime by sending people abroad illegally through the dunki route. These assets belonged to agents including Shubham Sharma, Jagjit Singh, and Surmukh Singh, and included agricultural land, residential and commercial properties, and bank accounts held in their names or those of their family members.
The ED said its investigation revealed that the accused agents lured unsuspecting individuals by promising legal migration to the US and charged hefty sums. However, victims were later sent through dangerous routes across South American countries and made to illegally cross the US–Mexico border. “Throughout the journey, the migrants were subjected to torture, extortion, and forced into illegal acts,” the agency said.
Earlier, the ED had conducted searches on July 9 and July 11, 2025, at 19 locations under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), recovering bogus immigration and visa stamps, records, and digital devices linked to the illegal immigration racket.
