New Delhi: Fifty-four men from Haryana have been deported from the United States for allegedly entering the country through the illegal “donkey route”. They arrived in Delhi on Flight OAE-4767 and were received by authorities at Indira Gandhi International Airport before being handed over to their families.
According to police, the deported individuals hail from several districts 16 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 between 25 and 40 years old.
Karnal Deputy Superintendent of Police Sandeep Kumar said the men had entered the US using the “donkey route” a term used for the risky and illegal travel network that passes through multiple countries to reach the US border. He added that all deportees were reunited with their families, and no formal complaints had yet been filed against any agents involved in facilitating their travel.
Police have begun an inquiry to determine whether any local agents were responsible for sending them abroad. Officials have warned residents against attempting such dangerous journeys, stressing that those who use illegal means often face imprisonment, deportation, or financial ruin.
The deportations come amid the US government’s tightened stance on illegal immigration, which has seen a sharp increase in the number of Indian nationals sent back in recent months.
In a separate development, Haryana’s Special Task Force (STF) arrested Lakhwinder Singh alias Lakha, a close associate of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, after his deportation from the US. Singh, a resident of Titram village in Kaithal, had been living in the US since 2022 and was wanted in several extortion and firing cases across Haryana and Punjab.
Authorities said a Look Out Circular and Red Corner Notice had been issued against him in 2023 and 2024. Following months of coordination with international agencies, his deportation and arrest were completed, marking another step in the STF’s ongoing crackdown on organised crime.
