ED raids 7 locations in human trafficking case

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday conducted searches at seven locations across Punjab and Haryana in connection with the ongoing probe into the “Donkey Route” human trafficking case, linked to illegal immigrants deported from the US earlier this year.

According to ED officials, teams from the Jalandhar Zonal Office raided in Mansa, Kurukshetra and Karnal, as part of follow-up action based on fresh leads gathered during an earlier operation on July 9, when searches were conducted at 11 locations.

Sources said credible inputs indicated that the so-called “second-leg” human traffickers — individuals responsible for arranging illegal transit routes outside India — were working in connivance with “donkers” or human trafficking conduits to smuggle Indian nationals through unauthorised routes into the US.

The case relates to over 80 Indian nationals who were deported by the US in February after being caught entering America illegally via the “Donkey Route”.

Several of those deported were reportedly handcuffed and treated as hardened criminals during their deportation, sparking a diplomatic row.

The ED is probing the money laundering angles linked to this transnational trafficking racket, focusing on payments made to agents and conduits in India and abroad.

“Not only were these illegal migrants deceived, but many were also extorted during their journey,” the officer said. ED officials have found that the traffickers and their overseas accomplices created high-pressure situations to extract additional payments from migrants’ families, exploiting their desperation and fear.