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.
Karnataka new excise policy: Local liquor to get costlier, premium may get cheaper
Bengaluru: The state government on Monday rolled out a new excise policy that shifts from the decades-old bulk litre-based system to a model based on alcohol content in beverages, Deccan Herald reported.
Karnataka becomes the first state in India to adopt this model. The change is expected to make lower-priced liquor costlier, while some premium brands may see a reduction in prices.
A senior Excise Department official said: “The policy is being implemented from today (May 11). The Karnataka Excise (Excise Duty and Charges) (2nd Amendment) Rules, 2026, notified after a public consultation on a draft released on April 18, slashes the number of excise slabs from 16 to 8.”
Local liquor manufacturers have alleged that the policy favours multinational companies producing beer and spirits over domestic distilleries.
According to the Karnataka Brewers and Distillers Association (KBDA), the first five slabs, which cater to the common man, house the maximum number of state-owned distilleries and contribute nearly 70-75% of the state’s excise revenue, have seen their Additional Excise Duty (AED) rise by 20-30%.
In contrast, slabs 6 to 8, which include products from multinational companies such as United Spirits, Bacardi, Heineken, Carlsberg, and Anheuser-Busch, have seen AED reduced by 10-15%. The association said that while larger companies can absorb pricing shifts across their diverse portfolios, smaller regional distilleries limited to budget liquor may face volume contraction and potential closure.
A senior KBDA member said the price of a 180 ml bottle in the lowest slab, which was around Rs 63 last year, has already risen to Rs 80, and the new policy is set to push that price further to Rs 105 a jump driven by a 42.8% tax bracket.
