50 Haryana men deported from US: ‘Took dunki route, our agents cheated’

Among those on the flight was Ankur Singh (26), a resident of Rahra village in Karnal, who says he spent Rs 29 lakh to reach the US in October 2022. His journey, routed through “many South American countries”, had taken “nearly four months”. “I had taken the dunki route and it went well until February this year, when I was arrested in Georgia while working at a liquor shop,” Ankur told The Indian Express.

“After that, I was put in a camp. We boarded the plane on October 24 to return to India. Apart from nearly 50 persons from Haryana, there were youths from Punjab, Hyderabad, Gujarat and Goa on our flight,” he said, adding that before leaving for the US, he had been pursuing a “BSc at DAV College in Karnal”.

According to the Ministry of External Affairs, nearly 2,500 Indian nationals have been deported or repatriated from the US since January 2025 through eight military, charter, and commercial flights. The first of these — a US Air Force C-17 carrying 104 Indians — landed in Amritsar on February 5, the longest deportation flight ever undertaken by American authorities. Most of those deported are men from Punjab, Haryana, and Gujarat.

Also in Sunday’s group was Husan (21), from Popra village in Karnal’s Gharaunda block. The only brother to three sisters, Husan studied up to Class 12 before leaving for the US in September 2024. His uncle, Surender Singh, said the family had sold three acres of land to pay Rs 45 lakh to agents. “He was arrested as soon as he entered the US. It was a huge shock for us. They reached Delhi airport after 1 am on Sunday. They were handcuffed with their legs also in shackles,” Surender said.

Harish, from Kalsi village in Karnal, hails from an SC family of labourers. “He had gone to Canada on a work visa in 2023. But after spending nearly a year there, he moved to the US in August and started working at a store. He was arrested in February this year,” Harish’s brother, Rinku, said.

Naresh Kumar, a resident of Taragarh village in Kaithal, returned after over a year in detention. “We were handcuffed during the journey but they did not mistreat us. I was in jail there for 14 months before being deported,” he said.

“I left Delhi on January 9, 2024, and reached the US via Brazil after 66 days. Our agents cheated me. They took Rs 57.5 lakh. They first promised to send me for Rs 42 lakh but kept asking for more. I sold over an acre of land, borrowed Rs 6 lakh more at interest, my brother sold land for Rs 6.5 lakh, and a relative pitched in Rs 2.85 lakh.”

Kaithal SP Upasana said 14 deportees from the district were brought from Delhi around 2 pm on Sunday. “All had entered the US through the donkey route. One of them was wanted in an excise case and had skipped multiple court hearings,” she said.

Jind SP Kuldeep Singh confirmed that three deportees were from his district. “They have been handed over to their families,” he said.

“Travelling abroad through the donkey route is a serious crime. It drains families financially and endangers lives. Many face abuse, fraud, even death along the way,” SP Singh said.

“Anyone wishing to go abroad should do so only through legal means. Verify agents before paying them, don’t fall for false promises. Illegal migration ruins lives and sends a wrong message to society,” he said.

“The district police are monitoring all of these cases closely. Anyone luring youth into illegal migration will face strict legal action.”