NIA: No Dalai Lama or Khalistani link in Himachal raid; 2 held in 'Donkey Route' human trafficking case
NEW DELHI: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Saturday denied media reports suggesting that its team conducted a raid in McLeodganj, Himachal Pradesh in connection with the security of Dalai Lama or any Khalistani terror financing case on Friday.
In a sharp clarification, the NIA said the search conducted in McLeodganj on Friday was entirely related to an ongoing investigation into a human trafficking case dubbed the 'US Donkey Route' network, a method used to illegally send people to the United States via multiple countries.
"The search had no connection either with HH Dalai Lama or with any case related to Khalistani terrorists, and reports to the contrary in a section of the media are completely false," the agency said in a statement.
Two more traffickers arrested in Friday's raids
Earlier, the NIA confirmed that two accused traffickers were arrested during the searches conducted simultaneously in Himachal Pradesh and Delhi.
The accused were identified as Sunny alias Sunny Donker, a resident of Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh and Shubham Sandhal alias Deep Hundi, originally from Ropar, Punjab, currently residing in Peeragarhi, Delhi.
Both are reportedly close associates of Gagandeep Singh alias Goldy, a key accused who was earlier arrested in March this year.
by Taboola
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The local police were duly informed and accompanied the NIA team during the McLeodganj operation, the agency said.
Rs 45 lakh per victim for illegal entry to US
According to NIA's investigation, the accused charged victims up to Rs 45 lakh each, promising legal entry into the US. Instead, they sent them on perilous journeys across multiple countries including Spain, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Mexico.
Gagandeep Singh, a resident of Tilak Nagar in Delhi, had already been chargesheeted on June 27. He is believed to have trafficked over 100 individuals to the US before his arrest.
The case came to light after a victim was deported from the US back to India earlier this year and filed a complaint with authorities.
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