New Delhi, October 27, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has arrested Delhi-based ticketing agent Tarun Khosla in a money laundering investigation linked to the alleged illegal migration of Indians to the United States through dangerous routes across South and Central America, officials said.
The ED’s Jalandhar Zonal Office arrested Khosla on October 23 under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, in connection with the “Dunkey Route Case” involving Indian nationals deported from the US in February 2025. A Special PMLA Court has remanded him to ED custody until October 30, according to an official statement.
The agency’s investigation allegedly identified Khosla as a key facilitator in the network. According to the ED, agents in Punjab and Haryana collected passports and money from people seeking to travel to the US and handed them over to Khosla in Delhi. He allegedly arranged visas and air tickets to transit countries in South America, including Guyana, Suriname, Ecuador and El Salvador, before facilitating onward movement towards the US border through illegal and dangerous routes.
The ED alleged that Khosla played a key role in deciding routes and setting prices for individuals travelling through the network.
The investigation began following multiple FIRs registered by Punjab and Haryana Police under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, and the Emigration Act, 1983, among other applicable laws. The probe followed the deportation of more than 300 Indian nationals from the US for allegedly entering the country illegally through the Mexico border.
According to the ED, agents and middlemen allegedly lured people with promises of sending them to the US through legal channels but instead arranged their journeys through the “Dunkey Route”. The agency said individuals were charged between ₹30 lakh and ₹60 lakh for these journeys.
The ED conducted searches at 19 locations on July 9 and July 11, 2025, recovering documents, records, digital devices and other material. The agency also reported finding suspected bogus immigration and visa stamps relating to Nicaragua and Ethiopia.
On December 15, 2025, the ED provisionally attached movable and immovable properties worth ₹5.41 crore, including agricultural land, residential and business premises, and bank account balances. The agency said the properties were allegedly derived from, or equivalent to, proceeds of crime generated by agents involved in facilitating illegal migration to the US.
Further searches were carried out at multiple locations across Punjab, Haryana and Delhi on December 18 and 19, 2025. During these operations, the ED said it seized cash worth ₹4.62 crore, gold bars and coins weighing approximately 5.9 kg, and silver bars weighing around 313 kg. The combined value of the seized cash and precious metals was estimated at ₹19.14 crore.
Investigators also recovered documents and digital devices from Khosla’s premises. More than 50 original passports belonging to third parties, along with diaries, transaction records and property documents, were recovered from other locations, the agency said.
According to the ED, data retrieved from Khosla’s mobile phones allegedly contained chats indicating that he acted as an “immigration-clearance fixer”. Communications with an international contact reportedly referred to coordination at foreign airports, collection of money for immigration clearance, ticket arrangements, passenger handling and payments in US dollars.
The agency said references to “OK to Board” endorsements and coordination with airline and immigration personnel further indicated Khosla’s alleged role in managing transit arrangements.
The investigation also found, according to the ED, that Khosla allegedly arranged visa clearances for South American countries, forged yellow fever vaccination certificates, air tickets and coordination with facilitators involved in the illegal journeys.
The ED said his chats included communications with foreign-based facilitators identified as “Mike” in Mexico, “Ali” in Brazil and “Kristi” in Mexico, who allegedly coordinated the movement of people across borders and related payments.
The agency further reported that 414 cash-credit transactions amounting to ₹30.38 crore were deposited into the bank account of Khosla’s proprietorship firm, BJ International, during the financial years 2022-23 to 2024-25.
The investigation is continuing, and the allegations against Khosla remain subject to judicial proceedings.
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