New Delhi [India], July 9 (ANI): The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday conducted searches across 11 locations in Punjab and Haryana in connection with the infamous 'Donkey Route' human trafficking racket that came to light following the deportation of several illegal immigrants from the United States in February this year, official sources said.

The raids, carried out by ED's Jalandhar Zonal office, are underway based on intelligence gathered during the ongoing probe under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

The places being raided by the agency are Amritsar, Sangrur, Patiala, Moga, Ambala, Kurukshetra, and Karnal, targeting travel and visa agents allegedly involved in the illegal immigration network.

The PMLA investigation was initiated based on 17 First Information Reports (FIRs) registered by the state police authorities in Punjab and Haryana against travel agents and middlemen accused of cheating individuals desperate to migrate to the US.

'These agents reportedly lured people with promises of legal travel arrangements but instead trafficked them through dangerous, illegal routes known as the Donkey Route, a term used for unauthorised, multi-country land crossings often fraught with peril,' said the officials in the ED, privy to the development.

According to ED findings, agents charged exorbitant sums of Rs 45 to Rs 50 lakh per person under the pretence of legal migration.

However, the agency officials said, victims were often smuggled across international borders through jungles and treacherous terrain with the involvement of organised crime networks and so-called 'Donkers' (trafficking facilitators).

Investigators further revealed that once the victims were in transit, the agents and their associates coerced families back home to make additional payments by creating a sense of fear and threat to their loved one's safety,' said the officials.

Statements from several deportees have been recorded by the ED, leading to the identification of multiple suspects whose premises are currently being searched as part of the ongoing crackdown.

The case highlights a growing concern over transnational human trafficking networks operating under the guise of legitimate immigration services. (ANI)