NEW DELHI: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested two key men allegedly involved in trafficking of humans to the US via the infamous 'dunki' route, officials said on Saturday.

The arrests came after searches at a location each in Himachal Pradesh and Delhi, they said.

The accused, Sunny alias Sunny Donker of Dharamshala of Kangra district in HP, and Shubham Sandhal alias Deep Hundi of Ropar, Punjab, who was living in Outer Delhi's Peeragarhi, were arrested on Friday, the NIA said in a statement.

Both, the probe agency said, were associates of Gagandeep Singh alias Goldy, who was arrested in March.

Gagandeep was arrested on a complaint of a victim, who was trafficked to the US using the dunki route and was deported to India this February.

The term dunki, believed to have originated from the word donkey, refers to an illegal pathway that immigrants take to enter countries like the United States without proper documentation.

The risky and arduous travel is usually facilitated by a human-trafficking syndicate.

NIA had chargesheeted Gagandeep Singh, a resident of Tilak Nagar in New Delhi, in the case on June 27.

According to the NIA investigation, Gagandeep used to take around Rs 45 lakh from each traveller and would promise to send them to the US on a valid legal visa.

He would send these people on an arduous journey via multiple countries, including Spain, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Mexico, the probe agency said.

Gagandeep sent more than 100 people illegally to the US in this manner before he was arrested, it said.

Sunny, the main associate/donker of Gagandeep's gang, played a key role in facilitating the illegal travel, the NIA said.

Their victims were physically and mentally harassed on the way by the donkers and agents seeking to make more money, it said.

Shubham Sandhal was an important hawala courier operator, involved in transferring funds to donkers in Latin America, the probe agency said.

Gagandeep used him to transfer part of the money taken from the victims to the donkers based in Latin America, it said.

NIA, which took over the case from Punjab Police on March 13, 2025, continues its investigation, the statement said.