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| ‘Donkey route’ trap: Govt flags 3,505 illegal agents sending Indians abroad | | | Early Times Report
Jammu, Mar 23: As many as 3,505 unregistered agents have been identified for allegedly facilitating illegal overseas travel of unemployed youth through the so-called “donkey routes,” the Government informed the Lok Sabha on Monday. The agents came to light following complaints lodged by affected families. Replying to a query in the Lok Sabha, Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports, Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya, said that as of February 2026, a list of 3,505 such unregistered agents—against whom grievances have been received—has been uploaded on the eMigrate portal to alert prospective emigrants. He said the Ministry has been running nationwide awareness campaigns to promote safe and legal migration through the eMigrate platform. These initiatives include workshops, training sessions, digital outreach, and information programmes targeting media groups, police and law enforcement agencies, local administrations, aspiring recruiting agents, entrepreneurs, and the general public. The Minister noted that the Government has received reports of dubious entities offering fake overseas job opportunities, often luring Indian nationals—particularly from Punjab and other northern states—through social media platforms. “Such fraudulent activities by illegal and unscrupulous recruitment agents generally come to light only after complaints are filed by the affect "The Government has received reports of dubious entities offering fake overseas job opportunities, often luring Indian nationals—particularly from Punjab and other northern states—through social media platforms." d individuals or their families,” he said. He added that since many individuals migrate abroad voluntarily through illegal channels, precise data on the number of Indians attempting such irregular migration is not available. Mandaviya further informed the House that most foreign governments do not share details regarding illegal stay of foreign nationals, except in cases involving deportation or nationality verification. He said deportation procedures vary across countries, with some detaining individuals in holding or deportation centres, while others do not formally arrest deportees. In many cases, information regarding detention or deportation is not shared with Indian missions, and deportation is carried out directly if the individual possesses valid travel documents. Indian missions are approached only in cases requiring nationality verification or issuance of Emergency Certificates (ECs), he added. Citing provisions of the Emigration Act, 1983, the Minister said no individual or agency is permitted to operate as a recruiting agent without a valid Registration Certificate issued by the Protector General of Emigrants. He added that complaints related to illegal migration and human trafficking are referred to the respective State police authorities for investigation and prosecution under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and other applicable laws. |
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