New Delhi. ED Jalandhar Zone has provisionally attached movable and immovable properties worth Rs 5.41 crore of three agents in connection with a major illegal immigration and human trafficking racket to the US via the infamous Dinky route. Giving information, a high-ranking ED official said that the seized properties include agricultural land, residential and business premises and bank accounts in the name of the accused agents and their family members.
According to the media report, the officer said that this action has been taken against the properties derived from the proceeds of crime or equivalent to those obtained by the agents named Shubham Sharma, Jagjit Singh and Surmukh Singh, who were sending people to America illegally by misleading them by making false promises of legal migration. All three are residents of Haryana and were playing different roles in Donkey Root Network for a long time.
The ED launched a probe into the illegal immigration and human trafficking racket on the basis of multiple FIRs filed by the Punjab and Haryana Police after the US government deported 330 Indian nationals who entered the US illegally in February 2025. ED investigation revealed that the accused agents and their associates used to target people by luring them to get legal entry into America and extorted huge amount from them. However, instead of legal migration, they were transported through dangerous and illegal routes and ultimately forced to cross the US-Mexico border illegally.
The ED said that during the journey, victims were subjected to torture, extortion, pressure and even forced to perform illegal acts. Large sums of money collected through such fraudulent activities are considered proceeds of crime under Prevention of Money Laundering. As part of the investigation, the ED conducted search operations at 19 locations in Punjab and Haryana on July 9 and 11 under the provisions of PMLA, resulting in further strengthening of the case against the accused. The ED said that further investigation in this case is ongoing and as more evidence is being analyzed and financial transactions are unearthed, additional action may be taken.
