9 held for sending people to Europe via 'donkey' route

With the arrests of nine men, including four Bangladeshi nationals, the Delhi Police on Monday claimed to have busted an international racket that used to send people to European countries on the basis of illegal documents.

Image used for representational purpose only. Photograph: Bryan Woolston/Reuters

The accused were using the infamous 'donkey route' by procuring fake work permits and charging up to Rs 15 lakh each from the travellers, an official said.

According to Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (East) Achin Garg, the chain of busting the racket started with the arrests of Mohammad Anowar Kazi (22) and Mohammad Kholilur Rahman (22), both Bangladeshi citizens, on January 4.

"Ali Akbar, Mohammad Ibrahim, Mohammad Modassir Khan, Narendra Arya, Dheeraj Bishnoi, Gaurav Gulati and Mohammad Yunus were arrested following the arrests of Kazi and Rahman," Garg said.

Ali Akbar and Yunus Khan are also Bangladeshi nationals, the officer said, adding that they were staying illegally in Delhi.

The 'donkey' route is an illegal immigration technique used for unauthorised entry into countries.

Police said Kazi and Rahman have told the investigators that they had provided forged documents to Yunus Khan, Ibrahim and Akbar to procure Greek work permits.

"Yunus Khan, Ibrahim and Akbar were arrested from southeast Delhi's Sarita Vihar and 12 passports, 10 mobile phones, three laptops, three pen drives, one inkjet printer, 150 notary documents of Bangladesh of 150 individuals, 50 Bangladesh Police clearance certificates and multiple other incriminating articles like diaries and lists of victims were found from their possession," the officer said.

The trio told police that they have been running the international human trafficking racket along with their handlers in Dhaka, who operate manpower consultancies in Bangladesh and India that help send people from Bangladesh to European countries using the 'donkey' route through India.

Their handlers would lure the victims from Bangladesh by promising them jobs in European countries.

"When they reached India, they were issued fake work permits on fake documents," another officer said, adding that the racket successfully sent a few people abroad earlier.

Those who could not be sent to Europe were asked to stay here by the accused. They also helped people get fake Indian citizenship, the officer added.

Police said the trio used to get the fake work permits via Mohammad Modassir Khan, who has disclosed that he would get the permits through Paradise Consultancy at northwest Delhi's Netaji Subhas Place.

"The agency was run by Dheeraj Bishnoi and Narendra Arya along with Gaurav Gulati, who has disclosed that he has completed a course in multimedia and animations and has been working with the consultancy firm since March 2022. With the help of original work permits, they would design and publish the fake documents on the directions of Mohammad Modassir Khan," the officer said.

Police said the accused were in touch with agents from Punjab and West Bengal, who would also send them requests to send Indians to Europe on the basis of fake documents.