New Delhi, June 16 – The Supreme Court on Monday refused anticipatory bail to a man accused of duping another by promising illegal passage to the US via the dangerous “donkey route”, observing that such acts “bring disrepute” to the Indian passport.
A bench of Justices Ujjal Bhuyyan and Manmohan dismissed the plea of Om Prakash from Haryana, saying, “Because of people like you, Indian passport is devalued.”
The court noted that the accused not only cheated the victim financially but also made him undertake a gruelling journey through multiple countries bordering the US, involving inhuman conditions.
The “donkey route” refers to a risky, illegal migration path, often through forests and dangerous crossings, used to enter countries like the US or UK by bypassing legal immigration channels.
The FIR alleges that Om Prakash was an accomplice of the main accused, an agent who promised legal US entry in exchange for Rs 43 lakh. The victim was first sent to Dubai, then to several countries, through the Panamanian forests and Mexico, before being arrested by US police on February 1, 2025, and deported to India on February 16.
The Punjab and Haryana High Court had earlier rejected Prakash’s anticipatory bail, citing the father of the victim who testified about being duped of Rs 22 lakh. The Supreme Court upheld the decision, terming the case “very serious.”
