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NIA arrests two Karnal men in ‘Dunki’ case of Ambala
The accused were identified as Ravi Kumar and Gopal Singh, both natives of Karnal, who were taken into custody during extensive searches carried out by the NIA at four locations in Haryana and Punjab.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Thursday arrested two accused, both residents of Haryana’s Karnal, in the case of human trafficking of illegal immigrants to the United States via the infamous Dunki route.
The accused were identified as Ravi Kumar and Gopal Singh, both natives of Karnal, who were taken into custody during extensive searches carried out by the NIA at four locations in Haryana and Punjab.
While two locations were searched in Karnal, NIA teams converged on one location each in Yamunanagar and Gurdaspur of Punjab during the wee hours of the day, the agency said in a statement.
“The digital devices and other material seized during the searches is being examined for further evidence about the criminal conspiracy linked to the immigration racket,” the statement read.
NIA said that its investigations revealed that Ravi and Gopal, were part of a transnational syndicate that lured Indian citizens with false promises of legal travel to the US.
The agency further said that Gopal had conspired with one Jai Kumar, another key accused, and Ravi in the illegal immigration of several victims.
As per the NIA findings so far, he not only managed hotel bookings and the travel itineraries of the victims but also acted as an agent for other co-victims.
“He assisted other accused in collecting payments from the victims and their families,” the NIA said.
The case relates to the illegal immigration to the US of Shubham Saini, a resident of Ambala’s Naraingarh, who was apprehended by the authorities in the USA at the border and deported to India in January this year.
In his complaint to the police, Saini had alleged that he was taken to the US through South and Central American countries, he was held in captivity abroad, and subjected to abuse and extortion at multiple stages.
A total of ₹42 lakhs was paid in installments by him and his family to the syndicate.
