ED conducts fresh raids in 'dunki' route case

The Enforcement Directorate on Thursday conducted fresh searches in Punjab, Haryana and Delhi as part of an ongoing money laundering investigation in a case linked to illegally transporting Indians to the US through the 'dunki' route, officials said.

The federal probe agency had in July conducted the first round of raids and recently attached assets worth Rs 5 crore of some travel agents after identifying some alleged accused operatives who were behind this illegal racket.

Thursday's raids cover those entities and individuals who are suspected to be the second and third layers involved in the chain. Premises of a travel company in Punjab's Jalandhar and some individuals based in Delhi and Panipat (Haryana) are being covered, sources said.


The ED investigation stems from a clutch of FIRs registered by the Punjab and Haryana Police in connection with the deportation of 330 Indian nationals to India onboard military cargo planes in February 2025 by the US government.

These people were found to be living "illegally" on the US soil.

Describing the alleged modus operandi undertaken by the agents, the ED had said that they "cheated" gullible people by luring them under the pretext of sending them to the US legally and charged "hefty" amounts for this.

However, the travellers were sent through dangerous routes via South American countries even as they were made to cross over into the US illegally through the country's border with Mexico.

The word "donkey", "dunkey" or "dunki" refers to the donkey-like long and hard journey undertaken by immigrants to enter countries illegally.

Throughout the journey, as per an ED statement issued a few days back, these people were tortured, extorted for even more money and made to commit illegal acts.

These agents and their associates generated proceeds of crime (definition for illicit money under the PMLA) by cheating these people, it said.

The US has deported more than 1,500 Indian nationals so far this year.