NIA arrests two key men involved in human trafficking to US via 'dunki' route
New Delhi (PTI): The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested two key men allegedly involved in trafficking of humans to the US via the infamous 'dunki' route, officials said on Saturday.
The arrests came after searches at a location each in Himachal Pradesh and Delhi, they said.
The accused, Sunny alias Sunny Donker of Dharamshala of Kangra district in HP, and Shubham Sandhal alias Deep Hundi of Ropar, Punjab, who was living in Outer Delhi's Peeragarhi, were arrested on Friday, the NIA said in a statement.
Both, the probe agency said, were associates of Gagandeep Singh alias Goldy, who was arrested in March.
Gagandeep was arrested on a complaint of a victim, who was trafficked to the US using the dunki route and was deported to India this February.
The term dunki, believed to have originated from the word donkey, refers to an illegal pathway that immigrants take to enter countries like the United States without proper documentation.
The risky and arduous travel is usually facilitated by a human-trafficking syndicate.
NIA had chargesheeted Gagandeep Singh, a resident of Tilak Nagar in New Delhi, in the case on June 27.
According to the NIA investigation, Gagandeep used to take around Rs 45 lakh from each traveller and would promise to send them to the US on a valid legal visa.
He would send these people on an arduous journey via multiple countries, including Spain, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Mexico, the probe agency said.
Gagandeep sent more than 100 people illegally to the US in this manner before he was arrested, it said.
Sunny, the main associate/donker of Gagandeep's gang, played a key role in facilitating the illegal travel, the NIA said.
Their victims were physically and mentally harassed on the way by the donkers and agents seeking to make more money, it said.
Shubham Sandhal was an important hawala courier operator, involved in transferring funds to donkers in Latin America, the probe agency said.
Gagandeep used him to transfer part of the money taken from the victims to the donkers based in Latin America, it said.
NIA, which took over the case from Punjab Police on March 13, 2025, continues its investigation, the statement said.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
ED arrests Sandeepa Virk, 'cosmetologist' for alleged money laundering
New Delhi, Aug 13 (PTI): The Enforcement Directorate said on Wednesday it has arrested a woman, who claims to be an actor and a cosmetologist, under the anti-money laundering law in a case of alleged fraud and misrepresentation.
The agency said the purported links of the woman, Sandeepa Virk, with a Reliance Group executive, Angarai Natarajan Sethuraman (President, Corporate Affairs), are also under its scanner. Sethuraman, in a statement, denied any connection with Virk or any transactions related to her.
Virk was taken into custody under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) on Tuesday after searches were conducted against her and her associates in Delhi and Mumbai over the last two days.
A special court sent her to the ED's custody till August 14, the agency said. The woman claims to be the owner of a skin care products selling website named hyboocare.com, which the ED claimed was a "front" for money laundering.
She and her associates are being probed for allegedly exerting undue influence through "misrepresentation" and "defrauding" individuals by soliciting money under false pretences.
According to an Instagram ID of Virk, she is an actor and entrepreneur and the founder of the said website.
The federal agency said in a statement that the woman was also "in touch with" Sethuraman, former director of erstwhile Reliance Capital Limited.
She was communicating with him regarding "illegal liaisoning", the ED claimed, adding that the searches at Sethuraman's residence "confirmed" these allegations.
"Besides, diversion of funds for personal benefit has also been unearthed during the course of the search action," it said.
The ED alleged that public money worth about Rs 18 crore belonging to Reliance Commercial Finance Limited (RCFL) was disbursed to Sethuraman in 2018 by "flouting" prudent lending norms.
The funds were lent under terms that allowed a deferment of the principal amount as well as the interest, with multiple waivers granted and no due diligence conducted, it said.
The ED claimed that besides this, a home loan of Rs 22 crore was provided by Reliance Capital Limited by "violating" the prudential norms. "A large part of these loans are seen to have been eventually siphoned off and remained unpaid," it alleged.
Sethuraman, in a statement, dismissed the allegations as "baseless". He denied any connection with Virk or any transactions related to her.
Detailing about Virk's web portal, the agency said it purportedly sold FDA-approved beauty products. However, the ED said the products listed on the website have been found to be non-existent and the portal lacks a user registration option and is plagued by persistent payment gateway issues.
A scrutiny of the website uncovered minimal social-media engagement, an inactive WhatsApp contact number and an absence of transparent organisational details, all of which reinforce the finding of "non-genuine" commercial activity, the ED claimed.
"These factors, including limited product range, inflated pricing, false claims of FDA approval and technical inconsistencies, indicate that the website serves as a front for laundering funds," it said.
Another social media-hosted bio data of the woman said she is a certified cosmetologist.
The ED said several "incriminating" documents were seized during the searches and the statement of a man named Farrukh Ali, stated to be an associate of Virk, was recorded.
The money-laundering case stems from an FIR lodged by the Punjab Police.
Sethuraman said that the home loan he received from Reliance Capital was granted following due process and was secured by the property offered as collateral.
