Faridabad/Chandigarh: In a major crackdown on illegal immigration, the United States has deported 54 youths from Haryana who allegedly entered the country using the notorious “Donkey Route” — an illegal network used to smuggle people across international borders. The deportees arrived in India at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport on flight OAE-4767 on Sunday, officials confirmed.
According to police data, 16 of the men are from Karnal, 15 from Kaithal, 5 from Ambala, 4 each from Yamuna Nagar and Kurukshetra, 3 from Jind, 2 from Sonipat, and one each from Panchkula, Panipat, Rohtak, and Fatehabad. Most of them are aged between 25 and 40 years.
Karnal Deputy Superintendent of Police Sandeep Kumar said the youths had travelled to the US illegally and were detained there before being deported. “These individuals entered the US through the illegal ‘donkey route’. No agent-related complaints have been received so far, but an investigation is ongoing,” he said.
The deportees have been handed over to their families after verification, and the authorities are probing whether organised human trafficking networks were involved. Police have urged the public to avoid illegal migration routes, warning that such attempts often lead to exploitation, detention, or even death.
This deportation follows a series of similar operations by US authorities under the Trump administration’s intensified action against illegal immigrants. Dozens of Indians have been sent back this year alone for violating immigration laws or overstaying visas.
Meanwhile, in a related development, the Special Task Force (STF) of Haryana achieved a major breakthrough by arresting Lakhwinder Singh alias Lakha, a close aide of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, after his deportation from the United States.
According to officials, Lakhwinder had been operating from the US since 2022 and was involved in several extortion and firing cases across Haryana and Punjab under the directions of Anmol Bishnoi, Lawrence’s brother.
STF officials confirmed that both a Look Out Circular (LOC) and a Red Corner Notice (RCN) were issued against Lakhwinder in 2023 and 2024, leading to his eventual deportation. “This is a significant success in our continued fight against organised crime,” an STF spokesperson said.
The two developments underscore both the rising trend of illegal migration from Haryana and the international reach of the state’s criminal networks, prompting authorities to intensify monitoring and coordination with foreign law enforcement agencies.
