New Delhi– The Directorate of Enforcement (ED) on Thursday carried out searches at 13 business and residential premises across Punjab, Haryana and Delhi in connection with the ‘donkey route’ case, which came to light after 330 Indian nationals were deported from the United States in February 2025 aboard a military cargo aircraft.
According to officials, the ED’s investigation revealed that the deported individuals had been sent to the US illegally through the so-called donkey route, facilitated by an extensive network involving travel agents, middlemen, overseas associates, hawala operators, and providers of accommodation and logistical support.
The agency said that earlier searches and evidence collected during the probe had helped identify individuals operating at the second and third layers of the trafficking network. These persons and entities were brought under the scanner during Thursday’s raids.
Those covered in the latest searches include Richi Travels in Jalandhar, Tarun Khosla in Delhi, and Balwan Sharma of Panipat, officials said.
The ED added that it had recently attached assets worth ₹5.41 crore belonging to individuals who allegedly generated proceeds of crime by sending people abroad illegally through the donkey route. The investigation into the wider network involved in the case is ongoing.
