New Delhi: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested two key individuals involved in trafficking people to the United States using the notorious ‘dunki’ route, officials said on Saturday.
The arrests were made on Friday after searches at locations in Himachal Pradesh and Delhi. The accused have been identified as Sunny alias Sunny Donkar, a resident of Dharamshala in Himachal Pradesh’s Kangra district, and Shubham Sandhal alias Deep Hundi, a resident of Punjab’s Ropar district who was currently living in Peeragarhi, outer Delhi, the NIA said in a statement.
According to the agency, both are associates of Gagandeep Singh alias Goldy, who was arrested in March after a victim filed a complaint alleging human trafficking through the ‘dunki’ route. The victim had been deported from the US to India in February.
On June 27, the NIA filed a chargesheet against Gagandeep Singh, a resident of Tilak Nagar in New Delhi, in the case. The investigation revealed that Gagandeep was charging around Rs 45 lakh from each passenger, promising to send them to the US with a valid visa but instead sending them illegally through the ‘dunki’ route.
The trafficked individuals were taken on a risky journey through multiple countries, including Spain, El Salvador, Guatemala, Panama and Mexico, before reaching the United States, the NIA said.
