ED says fake visas were used in India-US ‘donkey route’ network

India’s Enforcement Directorate says human traffickers used forged visas and emigration records to send Indians abroad through illegal “donkey routes”. The findings emerged during the agency’s investigation into the deportation of Indian nationals from the United States in February. Searches uncovered forged emigration stamps from several countries, visa templates, related documents and digital devices, the agency said.

According to the Enforcement Directorate, the forged stamps and templates were used to manipulate migrants’ travel records and prepare false visas. The documents allegedly helped facilitate journeys by people seeking to settle abroad through routes that did not provide lawful entry. The agency said the people whose premises were searched had allegedly helped generate proceeds from human trafficking.

It described a network involving Indian and foreign travel agents, middlemen and associates based abroad. The agents allegedly gave migrants false assurances that they were being sent through legal routes. Some people involved in the operation were Indian nationals living overseas, according to the agency, which said they helped send migrants without proper documents.

The network allegedly used international mobile numbers to communicate with foreign counterparts through WhatsApp and other encrypted services. Payments were reportedly made through hawala channels, an informal system for transferring money outside conventional banking arrangements. The Enforcement Directorate has conducted searches at 18 locations in Punjab and Haryana under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.

The probe is based on multiple police cases registered in the two States. The agency’s statements describe allegations under investigation. The supplied material does not state whether the accused have been convicted or provide details of any court findings.