DHARAMSALA: In a significant pre-dawn operation, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) conducted a high-profile raid in Dharamshala city of Himachal Pradesh, targeting a communication center allegedly linked to suspicious international transactions and human trafficking.
According to sources, the NIA team, comprising 10 to 12 officials, arrived from Chandigarh around 4:00 AM on Friday and launched a raid at a residence in Ward No. 4 on Naoroji Road. The house belongs to Sunny (22), a youth originally from Chamba district, who currently runs a communication center — Sunny Communication — located on the Dalai Lama Temple Road in McLeodganj.
Authorities have remained tight-lipped about the specifics of the investigation. However, the NIA team reportedly scrutinized bank accounts, land records, transaction documents, and other digital evidence from both his residence and the communication center. Security in the area was heightened during the operation, with local residents instructed to stay indoors.
Preliminary intelligence suggests that Sunny, who is married to a Russian national, has been under the scanner for possible involvement in foreign currency dealings, human trafficking (including the use of the notorious 'donkey route'), and money laundering. Investigators suspect that his sudden rise in financial status and recent purchase of a three-storey house in McLeodganj may be linked to these alleged activities.
Sources say the investigation includes inquiries into the number of people the accused may have helped migrate abroad, possibly in collusion with other members of an international network. The agencies are also probing the financial sources behind his growing assets and alleged pigeon racing activities, which may have been a front for illicit transactions.
After several hours of questioning and evidence collection, the NIA formally arrested Sunny in the afternoon. Several documents and digital records were also seized from the premises. He has been booked under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) — including Sections 143, 238, 318, and 61 — as well as the Punjab Travel Professionals Act.
Superintendent of Police (SP) Kangra, Shalini Agnihotri, confirmed the NIA operation. “A raid was conducted at a communication center in McLeodganj. The action is linked to suspicious foreign currency transactions, possibly connected to pigeon racing. The NIA is currently investigating all financial and property records of the accused, ” she stated.
The raid has created a buzz in McLeodganj — a major international tourist destination — where such high-level investigative action is rarely seen. Residents and shopkeepers expressed surprise and concern over the presence of national security personnel in the usually quiet area.
The case is under active investigation, and further details