The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has arrested a Delhi-based travel agent in an ongoing money-laundering investigation into an alleged network that facilitated illegal migration to the United States through informal border crossings. The probe is examining suspected hawala transactions, assets allegedly linked to the operation and a network of intermediaries operating across several states.
According to the supplied report, the arrested agent, Tarun Khosla, was produced before a special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court in Jalandhar after being brought from Delhi. On October 24, the court reportedly remanded him to seven days of ED custody.
Investigators are examining the alleged roles of local recruiters, overseas handlers, logistical coordinators and individuals suspected of managing informal financial transfers.
ED Searches Lead to Cash, Gold and Silver Seizures
The latest custody action follows searches conducted by the agency on December 18, 2025, at 13 locations across Delhi, Punjab and Haryana. The searches reportedly covered residential and business premises linked to Khosla, as well as Richi Travels in Jalandhar.
During the operations, investigators seized ₹4.62 crore in unaccounted cash, six kilograms of gold bars and 313 kilograms of silver, according to the report.
The agency also recovered documents that allegedly connect multiple intermediaries to the movement of undocumented migrants. Records seized from Panipat-based agent Balwan Singh reportedly indicated that some migrants were kept as financial sureties to secure payment of outstanding dues.
Investigators are examining these documents alongside banking records to establish how money moved between intermediaries and whether informal settlement channels were used to transfer proceeds linked to the alleged operation.
Properties Worth ₹5.41 Crore Provisionally Attached
The ED had reportedly provisionally attached movable and immovable assets valued at ₹5.41 crore on December 15. The properties were linked to three other alleged agents: Shubham Sharma, Jagjit Singh and Surmukh Singh.
The attached assets reportedly include agricultural land, commercial premises, residential properties and bank balances held in the names of the accused and their family members.
Provisional attachment is intended to prevent suspected proceeds of crime from being transferred or disposed of while an investigation is underway. Such action does not, by itself, establish guilt or constitute a final confiscation.
These measures followed an earlier round of searches in July 2025, when investigators covered 11 locations across Punjab and Haryana, including Amritsar, Patiala, Sangrur, Moga, Ambala, Karnal and Kurukshetra.
The successive operations form part of the agency's effort to identify the alleged network's financial and logistical structure.
Deportations Triggered a Wider Investigation
The money-laundering probe reportedly originated from 19 first information reports registered across Punjab and Haryana after the United States deported 330 Indian citizens in February 2025. The report states that the deportees were flown back on military cargo aircraft.
Investigators allege that aspiring migrants were promised legitimate entry into the United States but were instead directed through overland routes crossing South American countries before attempting to enter the US illegally across its southwestern border.
Statements recorded from returned migrants reportedly indicate that individuals were charged between ₹40 lakh and ₹55 lakh each for the journey.
Many migrants allegedly dealt mainly with local agents and had little or no direct contact with the people suspected of organising the wider operation. This structure has made it important for investigators to examine communications, financial records and the relationships between intermediaries.
ED Examines Bank Records and Hawala Trails
The agency has reportedly requisitioned banking records from deported individuals to reconstruct transaction histories, identify beneficiaries and estimate the assets generated through the alleged enterprise.
Tracing these flows is central to determining whether payments were transferred through conventional bank accounts, informal settlement networks or a combination of channels. Investigators will also need to establish the connections between seized assets, suspected payments and individual participants.
Detailed transaction analysis and documentation review are important in complex cases involving suspected cross-border financial activity. Businesses and individuals dealing with international transactions can also refer to cross-border payment services for information about payment-related support and processes.
Investigation Continues
The arrest of Tarun Khosla and the reported seizures of cash, precious metals and properties mark further developments in the investigation. The ED is continuing to examine financial records and alleged links among recruiters, travel agents and other intermediaries.
The central questions remain how the alleged migration network collected payments, where the money ultimately went and which individuals or entities benefited from the transactions.
The allegations against the accused remain subject to investigation and the legal process. The agency's financial findings and any subsequent court proceedings will be important in establishing the extent of the alleged operation.