Serbia Rule Change Leaves Stranded Indians at Mercy of Smugglers

This illicit process, popularly code named donkey, is a wide network of human smugglers from countries like India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and various parts of Europe, who work in liaison with each other at various border points to facilitate illegal transit in exchange for huge sums of money. 

During the first investigation for JournalismFund Europe on the topic: ‘Kabootar Baazi of Punjabi women to Europe,’ the team came across a tip-off that traffickers had been sending Punjabis to Europe via Serbia. Between 2017 and 2023, many Punjabis from India made use of this loophole to make their crossover into Europe.

When Serbia suspended its visa rules on January 1st 2023, to prevent Indians from using it as a transit country, it only fueled the human smuggling trade. The investigation found that smugglers were adding new destinations like Nepal, Dubai, Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries to the travel itineraries of Punjabis to make them appear more “believable” to the Serbian immigration officials. During the investigation, the team managed to stay connected with many migrants who were documenting their journeys through smartphones while sharing vivid details of being smuggled across international borders. Along with being in contact with the sources for more than a year, the team was checking the situation from the Serbian angle, where they transit "in shadow".

Image credit: BIRN/Igor Vujcic