The Supreme Court on Monday refused to grant anticipatory bail to a man accused of being a facilitator in the illegal immigration racket commonly referred to as “dunki”, observing that such acts not only involve serious offences but also diminish the global value of Indian passports and harm the interests of genuine citizens.
A bench of Justices Ujjal Bhuyan and Manmohan was hearing a plea filed by Om Parkash, who is facing prosecution under several serious charges, including cheating, criminal conspiracy, trafficking and intimidation.
“This is a very serious offence… Such incidents lower the standing of Indian passports internationally. They also adversely affect genuine people,” remarked the bench while dismissing the plea. The top court said there were “very serious allegations” against the petitioner, and refused to interfere with the Punjab and Haryana high court’s decision denying anticipatory bail.
The FIR, filed by Haryana police, alleges that Parkash acted in concert with the primary accused — an immigration agent who promised to send the complainant to the United States through legitimate channels for a payment of ₹43 lakh. However, the complainant was instead routed through Dubai, taken to multiple countries, smuggled through the forests of Panama, and eventually pushed across the US-Mexico border on February 1, 2025.
The ordeal ended with the complainant being arrested by US authorities, imprisoned and deported to India on February 16, 2025. Following this, the accused allegedly demanded an additional ₹22 lakh from the complainant’s father, taking the total extorted amount to ₹65 lakh.
The high court had in April denied anticipatory bail to the petitioner, taking note of the deposition by the complainant’s father that directly implicated Parkash in the fraud. The court also cited the petitioner’s prior criminal history and said the case was in its “nascent stage,” warranting a thorough investigation.
In February, two US military aircraft deported hundreds of Indians caught illegally entering the country. The first C-17 Globemaster returned with 104 individuals, including 33 each from Gujarat and Haryana and 30 from Punjab. A second aircraft, which landed in Amritsar on February 16, brought back 117 people, most of whom were from Punjab (65 in total) along with others from Haryana, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Goa, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir.
These deportations, carried out amid an intensifying crackdown on transnational migration networks, became a politically sensitive issue. The Opposition criticised the Modi government over the deportation of Indian citizens from the United States aboard military aircraft, alleging it reflected the Centre’s failure to protect its citizens’ dignity abroad. Several opposition leaders decried the fact that deportees were reportedly handcuffed and chained during their transcontinental journey.