Donkey Route’ scam in Kurukshetra: Youths held hostage by being sent to Uzbekistan under the guise of Spain

March 23, 2026

Kurukshetra: A sensational case of fraud and kidnapping under the guise of sending them abroad has come to light in Kurukshetra. The accused lured three young men with the promise of sending them to Spain and sent them to Uzbekistan, where they were held hostage and a ransom of ₹4.5 million was extorted from their families.

Promised Spain, Sent to Uzbekistan

Complainants Sunil Kumar, Kuldeep Singh, and Somprakash stated that they wanted to send their children Mandeep, Bahadur, and Mohan abroad. During this time, they met Prem Saini, a resident of Gobindgarh, and his wife.

The accused agreed to send them to Spain for ₹1.5 million per person and promised to send them within 45 days. On July 20, 2025, the families handed over passports and an advance of ₹200,000 per person. After this, the accused took more money under various pretexts.

Route Changed, Conspiracy Deepened

When the young men were not sent to Spain at the agreed time, the accused said they would be sent via Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan. On February 16th, the three young men were sent from Delhi to Uzbekistan, where they were received at the airport by men named Akram Khan and Ali.

Hostage and Ransom Extortion

After arriving in Uzbekistan, two other men took the young men into their custody. On February 18th, the family received a video call in which the three young men were held hostage and being beaten.

Subsequently, a man named Baba Khan called and informed them that the children had been kidnapped and that they would have to pay 4.5 million rupees for their release. Forced to do so, the family paid 4.5 million rupees on February 20th. Tickets were then sent, and on February 21st, the three young men returned home safely.

Police have registered a case of fraud against Prem Saini, his wife, Akram Khan, and Ali.

Similar cases have come to light before

In December 2025, Sompal, a resident of Sandhir village in Karnal, also accused an agent of defrauding him of Rs 40 lakh on the pretext of sending him to the United States.

According to Sompal, the accused took him through various countries to the jungles of Panama and demanded more money from his family to send him further.

These cases highlight the growing network of illegal human trafficking and fraud taking place through the ‘Donkey Route’.