A HARYANA youth who was promised legal passage to Moldova allegedly found himself trapped on a dangerous ‘Dunki route’, enduring months of abuse, extortion, freezing conditions and imprisonment before finally returning home after nearly eight months. Rohit, a resident of Dungi village in Kurukshetra district, has alleged that travel agents duped him into taking the illegal ‘Dunki route’ to Europe after his family paid Rs 9 lakh for what they believed was a legitimate travel arrangement. The ‘Dunki route’ refers to an illegal migration pathway used by people attempting to enter countries like the US, Canada, and Europe without proper documentation, often facilitated by human smuggling networks. Speaking to reporters in Pehowa on Monday, Rohit recounted a harrowing journey that began on October 9, 2025, when he was flown to Dubai.

 

Rohit said that from Dubai he was sent to Russia and subsequently taken to Belarus by a Pakistani agent, instead of being sent directly to Moldova as promised. According to Rohit, the Pakistani agent confiscated his money, repeatedly demanded additional payments and subjected him and another youth to severe mistreatment. He alleged that the agent threatened them with knives and pressured them to arrange more money from their families. As a Hindu, Rohit said he refused to eat beef allegedly served with bread during the journey and survived largely on bread after learning that the meat being provided was beef. He further claimed that he was made to stay in a tent without blankets in temperatures as low as minus 4 degrees Celsius while stranded in forests in Belarus. Rohit said his family was forced to send additional money after receiving distressing video calls from him.

 

However, he alleged that the Indian agent failed to pass on the funds to the Pakistani agent, resulting in further abuse. After spending nearly 10 days in harsh conditions in Belarus, Rohit and several others were taken to the Latvia border in an attempt to enter Europe illegally. He alleged that after crossing the border, they were detained by Latvian soldiers, who confiscated their mobile phones, assaulted them and subjected them to electric shocks during interrogation. According to Rohit, they were later pushed back across the border and warned not to return. After wandering for several days, Rohit claimed he again fell into the hands of the Pakistani agent, who continued demanding money. Eventually, when the group expressed a desire to return to India, they were allegedly handed over to police in Minsk, Belarus. Rohit said he spent around seven months in jail before receiving assistance from the Indian Embassy. Following the issuance of an emergency passport and subsequent travel arrangements made by his family, he returned to India on June 13, 2026. Rohit’s father, Manoj Kumar, a taxi driver, said he sold a plot of land and borrowed money to raise the Rs 9 lakh demanded by the agent.

 

The family now plans to approach the police, seeking strict action against the Indian agent, whom they accuse of fraud and human trafficking. They alleged that instead of arranging legal travel to Moldova as promised, the agent routed Rohit through dangerous illegal migration channels, resulting in months of suffering, detention and substantial financial losses. Several youths from Haryana and Punjab have in recent years reported similar experiences after allegedly falling prey to unscrupulous travel agents promising overseas opportunities through illegal migration routes.