New Delhi, Dec. 18 (UNI): The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is conducting search operations at thirteen business and residential premises across Punjab, Haryana, and Delhi in connection with the ‘Dunki route’ human trafficking case.
The ED had initiated an investigation under Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) based on various First Information Reports (FIRs) registered in relation to 330 Indian nationals who were deported from the USA via a military cargo plane in February 2025.
During the investigation, the ED found that the deported individuals were sent to the USA via the ‘Dunki route’—an illegal immigration network—facilitated by a complex web of people in a chain. This network included travel agents, middlemen, ‘donkers’, overseas associates, hawala operators, and providers of lodging and other logistical arrangements.
In similar raids conducted earlier by the agency, names of second and third-tier persons involved in the Dunki chain had come to the fore.
“These persons have been covered in today’s search. The individuals and entities covered include Richi Travels of Jalandhar, Tarun Khosla of Delhi, and Balwan Sharma of Panipat,” said an ED official.
Recently, the ED had attached assets worth Rs 5.41 crore belonging to persons who allegedly generated proceeds of crime by illegally sending people abroad through the ‘Dunki’ route.
