ED arrests Delhi-based travel agent in 'Dunkey Route' illegal immigration case
The ED's Jalandhar office has arrested a Delhi-based ticketing agent it calls a key facilitator of the 'Dunkey Route' network; a Special PMLA Court gave the ED his custody till 30 October 2026.
Key points
- The ED's Jalandhar zonal office arrested a Delhi-based ticketing agent under the PMLA on 23 October 2026 in the 'Dunkey Route' case.
- The ED says people were charged Rs 30 lakh to Rs 60 lakh each and alleges Rs 30.38 crore in cash deposits in the agent's firm's account.
- A Special PMLA Court has granted ED custody till 30 October 2026; the ED says further investigation is under way.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has arrested a Delhi-based ticketing and travel agent under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in the 'Dunkey Route' case, which relates to Indians deported from the USA in February 2025. The ED's Jalandhar zonal office made the arrest on 23 October 2026, and a Special PMLA Court has granted the agency his custody till 30 October 2026.
What Happened
According to the ED, its investigation began from FIRs registered by Punjab Police and Haryana Police under the BNS and the Emigration Act, 1983, after more than 300 Indian nationals were deported from the USA in February 2025 for entering illegally through the Mexico border.
The ED alleges that people wanting to go to the USA were induced by agents and middlemen with a false promise of legal travel, and were instead sent illegally across several South and Central American countries on dangerous routes. Such persons were charged about Rs 30 lakh to Rs 60 lakh each, the ED said.
The ED alleges the arrested agent was a key facilitator who received passports and money from agents in Punjab and Haryana, arranged visas and tickets to transit countries such as Guyana, Suriname, Ecuador and El Salvador, decided routes and pricing, and arranged forged yellow fever vaccination certificates. It says it found cash deposits of Rs 30.38 crore through 414 transactions between 2022-23 and 2024-25 in the account of his proprietorship firm.
In December 2025 searches, the ED said it seized cash of Rs 4.62 crore, about 5.9 kg of gold and about 313 kg of silver, worth Rs 19.14 crore in all, from his premises, and recovered over 50 original passports of other people from other premises. It had earlier attached properties worth about Rs 5.41 crore in the case.
What It Means
These are allegations, not findings of guilt; the accused are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court, and due process continues.
The ED's account shows how people wanting to go to the USA were, it alleges, promised legal routes but sent on illegal and dangerous journeys after paying large sums. The ED says further investigation is under way.
This report describes enforcement actions and allegations on the public record, attributed to the officials cited. An order, FIR or chargesheet is not a conviction; parties are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
Named in this report, or spotted an error? Corrections and responses: editor@oquilia.com. We correct errors promptly and record responses from named parties.
Sources & Citations
- Enforcement Directorate press release — Enforcement Directorate