New Delhi
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested two key operatives involved in a major human trafficking racket that smuggled individuals to the United States via the illegal and dangerous ‘dunki’ route. The accused were apprehended following raids in Himachal Pradesh and Delhi.
The arrested individuals have been identified as Sunny alias Sunny Donker, a resident of Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh, and Shubham Sandhal alias Deep Hundi, originally from Punjab but residing in Delhi’s Peeragarhi area. Both were close associates of Gagandeep Singh alias Goldy, the prime accused, who was arrested in March.
The racket involved charging victims nearly ₹45 lakh with false promises of legal U.S. visas. Instead, they were sent on a grueling journey through countries like Spain, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Mexico, before illegally entering the U.S. Gagandeep is accused of trafficking over 100 individuals this way. Sunny played a crucial role in escorting people through the illegal route, while Shubham handled hawala transactions, transferring funds to agents—called donkers—in Latin America. Victims were often mentally and physically harassed during their journey.
The NIA took over the case from Punjab Police in March and filed a chargesheet against Gagandeep on June 27. The agency continues to investigate the network, which it says has international links and relies heavily on underground financial channels. The ‘dunki’ route, derived from the word ‘donkey’, refers to a risky and undocumented migration path increasingly used by Indian traffickers to send people abroad.
