‘Indian passport devalued due to people like you’: SC denies pre-arrest bail to Haryana travel agent

The Supreme Court on Monday denied anticipatory bail to an accused for allegedly duping a man after promising to send him to the US through the “donkey” route saying such people bring disrepute to Indian passport.

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A bench of Justices Ujjal Bhuyyan and Manmohan said, “Because of people like you, Indian passport is devalued."

The top court further noted such acts of a few brought disrepute to Indian passport.

"Donkey route" or "donkey journey" refers to an illegal method of migration, usually used to enter countries like the United States or the United Kingdom.

The process involves utilising human smugglers and navigating through various countries, often facing harsh and dangerous conditions, to bypass legal immigration processes.

The bench said the accused not only duped the person but also made him travel to several countries bordering the US in inhuman conditions to ensure that he enters the US illegally.

The bench termed the allegations as "very serious” and refused to entertain the anticipatory bail plea of Om Prakash, who hails from Haryana.

The plea was filed against the Punjab and Haryana High Court order denying him the relief.

Prakash, the FIR alleged, was an accomplice to the main accused, who was working as an agent and had assured the complainant that he would send him to the US through valid means on a payment of Rs 43 lakh.

The main accused sent the complainant to Dubai in September 2024, and from there to different countries, then to the forests of Panama, and then to Mexico.

On February 1, 2025, the “agents” of the main accused made him cross the US border. The complainant was arrested by the US police, jailed and deported to India on February 16, 2025.

The high court denied him anticipatory bail, saying the complainant's father had deposed that the petitioner had duped him of Rs 22 lakh.