Torture of Indians in Azerbaijan Exposes Transnational Donkey Route

NEW DELHI: The kidnapping and torture of two Indians in Azerbaijan while attempting to enter the United States through the illegal “donkey route” has exposed a structured transnational trafficking network spanning multiple countries, with defined roles ranging from recruiters in India to custody controllers in the Iran-Azerbaijan transit corridor, and a hierarchy designed to isolate, extort and control migrants at multiple stages of transit.

Dhruv Patel, 22, and Dipika Patel, 32, from Gujarat’s Anand district, were abducted shortly after arriving in Baku on 1 February as part of an illegal migration attempt arranged by agents in Mumbai. They had already paid Rs 35 lakh and Rs 15 lakh respectively for the journey. However, upon arrival, the trafficking network escalated its demands and turned the migration attempt into a hostage situation.

According to investigation findings and victim accounts, the couple was received by a handler identified as Pawan Rocky, who identified them to switch off their mobile phones, isolating them from their families and original recruitment agents. Soon after, the handler demanded additional money. When the victims refused, they were abducted and confined in a basement facility, where Dhruv Patel was physically assaulted. The torture was live-streamed to family members in India through video calls on Whatsapp to force immediate ransom payments, accompanied by threats of organ removal if payment was not made.

Under coercion, the families paid approximately Rs 65 lakh to the traffickers, with a significant portion transferred through cryptocurrency channels, including stablecoins such as USDT, indicating the network’s use of digital financial systems designed to evade conventional banking surveillance. The victims were eventually released following intervention by Indian authorities and diplomatic coordination with Azerbaijan.

Gujarat Police have registered a First Information Report naming recruitment agents and overseas handlers involved in the trafficking attempt, including the individual identified as Pawan Rocky, who is alleged to have received the victims in Azerbaijan and controlled their custody.

Investigators are examining cryptocurrency ransom transfers and digital communication records to identify additional members of the trafficking syndicate and trace financial flows used to facilitate extortion. Officials said efforts are underway to establish the real identity, location and operational role of all individuals involved, including those operating outside India.

Officials said that the investigation focused on an individual identified as Baba Khan, also referred to as “Khan Baba”, whose name was invoked during ransom escalation. Authorities believe he is likely to be a higher-level trafficking coordinator operating within the Iran-Azerbaijan transit corridor, with authority over custody transfers, ransom escalation and operational enforcement. His identity and location are currently under investigation, with international agencies being roped in.

Police officials said the probe has expanded beyond local recruitment agents to examine the broader transnational network, including handlers operating in Azerbaijan and corridor coordinators responsible for cross-border transit. Investigators are analyzing travel records, financial transactions and call data to identify intermediaries involved in moving the victims from India to Azerbaijan and transferring custody to foreign handlers.

The incident has revealed the operational structure of the donkey route network, which functions as a decentralized but coordinated transnational criminal system rather than a single organization. The network operates through compartmentalized roles distributed across jurisdictions, minimizing exposure of senior controllers while maintaining operational continuity.

Recruitment begins in India, where agents identify and solicit migrants seeking illegal entry into the United States, often promising safe passage through multi-country routes. These recruiters collect substantial upfront payment and arrange travel to intermediate transit hubs such as Azerbaijan. Migrants are typically unaware that control over their movement shifts to a different set of handlers upon arrival.

Azerbaijan functions as a staging and custody zone due to its geographic position between South Asia, Iran and Europe. Migrants arriving there are transferred into custody of transit handlers who operate safe houses, detention locations and transport logistics. These handlers control communication, movement and access to resources, effectively placing migrants under coercive custody.

At the next level of the hierarchy are regional trafficking coordinators operating along the Iran-Azerbaijan corridor, who exercise authority over custody transfers, ransom escalation and onward movement. These coordinators control cross-border pipelines that move migrants into Iran, which serves as a critical gateway for further transit into Turkey.

Turkey functions as the primary forward transit hub connecting Middle Eastern trafficking corridors to Europe. From there, migrants are moved through Eastern Europe or rerouted toward Latin America, where trafficking networks facilitate illegal entry attempts into the United States through land borders.

Each segment of the route is controlled by different national or regional criminal actors. Indian recruitment agents handle victim acquisition and initial payment extraction. Azerbaijani-based handlers manage custody, detention and enforcement. Iranian corridor coordinators control cross-border transfers and escalation decisions. Turkish transit operators oversee movement toward European or transatlantic routes. Financial handlers, operating across multiple jurisdictions, manage cryptocurrency wallets used for ransom extraction and laundering.

Investigators said traffickers deliberately isolate migrants upon arrival in transit countries to extract additional ransom payments beyond initial migration fees. The reference to custody transfer figures such as “Khan Baba” reflects a structured escalation mechanism within the trafficking hierarchy designed to intensify pressure on victims’ families.

Officials said the use of cryptocurrency payments allows traffickers to receive cross-border ransom transfers quickly while minimizing exposure to financial monitoring systems. Authorities said the case fits a broader global pattern of organized migrant smuggling and trafficking. In a recent international crackdown coordinated by Interpol across multiple countries, more than 3,700 suspects linked to human trafficking and migrant smuggling networks were arrested. The operation targeted networks operating across Europe, West Asia, Central Asia and other transit corridors used for illegal migration. Investigators said such networks function through compartmentalized structures involving recruiters, transit handlers, custody controllers and financial intermediaries, similar to the structure emerging in the Azerbaijan kidnapping case.

Investigators said arrests in such cases typically begin with recruitment agents and operational handlers, while higher-level coordinators remain more difficult to identify due to their indirect involvement, use of aliases and geographic distance from operational custody locations.

The case has highlighted the strategic role of the Iran-Azerbaijan corridor as a key control point within global illegal migration pipelines connecting South Asia to Europe and the United States.