Three youths from Athbiskot, Rukum West have been missing for two years after following the illegal 'donkey route' in pursuit of the American dream. On one hand, their families are enduring the unbearable pain of their sons' disappearance; on the other, all three families have been devastated by the loss of hundreds of thousands of rupees to brokers and the burden of heavy debts owed to moneylenders.
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Rukum West, Athbiskot Municipality–7, Kharkhara: a small house! Hanging on the wall of the bedroom is a complete photo taken during Dashain tika. In the picture is a smiling, whole family, where everyone is happy.
Parimal Khatri slowly took the photo down from the wall. He stared at it for a while. Then, pointing to one face in the photo with teary eyes and a soft voice, he said, “This is the son who has been missing for two years. During Dashain in 2081, he was with us. After that, he left home saying he was going to America, and then disappeared—where did he go, where...? He hasn’t returned till now.”
Before he could finish, his eyes welled up, his throat choked. Words got stuck on his lips. Silence filled the room for a while. Trying unsuccessfully to hold back his tears, he composed himself. Then, he slowly began to unburden the pain he had kept inside for two years: “I have two sons. Deepak is the eldest, 29 years old. The younger one is at home. Deepak had been planning to go to America for four years. For the first two years, he would come and go. In Baisakh 2081, he came home, stayed for about 10 days, and left. Since 8 Asar of that year, he has been out of contact.”
Not only Parimal’s son Deepak, but two other youths from Athbiskot who left for America via the illegal ‘donkey route’ have also been missing for two years. These three families now share the same story and pain. They are suffering doubly—on one hand, the unbearable pain of losing their children, which cannot be hidden; on the other, the added burden of debt after losing millions of rupees paid to agents!
Along with Deepak, the others who went out of contact are Gopal KC (19) of Athbiskot–7, Aul, and Pahal KC (21) of Athbiskot–9, Radi. Their families say they last called from Libya two years ago in Asar. After that? There has been no trace of the sons.
When Parimal and his family sat on the porch of their house by the Kharkhara riverbank to tell Deepak’s story, no one could hold back their tears.
Following the illegal ‘donkey route’ to the American dream, three youths from Athbiskot, Rukum West, have been missing for two years.According to Parimal, an agent lured Deepak with the American dream and called him to Kathmandu as early as Baisakh 2079. After a few days in Kathmandu, he was sent to Dubai, but from there he was sent back to Nepal. Then began Deepak’s endless and harrowing journey under the agent’s control—sometimes in the alleys of India, sometimes in the dark rooms of Dubai! The agent kept moving him from country to country, sending him back and forth. Deepak’s journey to America spun for years in a cycle of uncertainty, fear, and false promises. “At that time, my son would say he was being taken here and there, but now we’ve forgotten all that,” says Parimal. “Anyway, he came home three times in the first two years. Then he left from here in Baisakh 2081. After that, who knows where he went...”
Deepak’s mother, Gami Khatri, also vividly remembers the last video call with her son two years ago. She says, “It must have been around 2 p.m. on 8 Asar. On the video call, he said, ‘Mother, I am now in a place called Libya. They say they’ll take us to Greece from here. I’ll talk to you after I get there. Don’t worry about me.’ Poor boy, where could he have gone, not returning for so many days...”
Another scene from that same day’s video call keeps replaying in Parimal’s memory. “At that time, he said, ‘The police are about to surround us. If I talk for long, the police will catch us. I’ll call after I cross this checkpoint.’ So I told him, ‘Then hang up.’ There was a black man with him, who was grinning with white teeth and moving his body. My son gestured like that, his face looked pale. He hung up, and it’s been two years since. Where did he go, what happened, there’s no news at all.”
Whenever the topic of Deepak comes up, Parimal cannot finish his sentences. Deepak’s family includes his 55-year-old mother, wife, two sons, father, and brother and sister-in-law. His sisters are already married. In their attempt to send Deepak to America, the family has spent over 10 million rupees so far.
The breakdown of that expense is as follows—according to Deepak’s sister, Bimala Oli, 8.2 million rupees were paid to the agent in various phases. An additional 3.1 million was spent traveling to different countries. Six hundred thousand was spent searching for her brother. Three hundred thousand for staying in Kathmandu is still unpaid. Altogether, the total spent in this case has reached 12.2 million rupees.
Deepak, who studied up to grade 12 and worked three years in Malaysia before returning home, had planned to do something in Nepal. But society’s gaze was elsewhere. Neighbors and friends were reaching America even by taking the ‘donkey route’. Seeing that, his sister Bimala herself pressured and encouraged Deepak: “Go, son, we’ll support you.” But now, that very sentence has become a source of regret and tears for Bimala. “He used to earn 50–60 thousand a month in Malaysia. The agent said he could earn 300–400 thousand a month in America. And since everyone was going, we thought it would be good if he made it. Who knew it would turn out like this! Now I feel so sorry,” Bimala sobbed.
This family, which had been making ends meet through simple farming, is now completely destitute. “We have a debt of 10 million. The moneylenders are after us. We sold all our ancestral property in Aul and squeezed the whole family into this small house,” Parimal says, pausing repeatedly. “We are ruined. Even this house and land are mortgaged to the bank.”
When it became very difficult to educate Deepak’s two sons, Parimal went to Kathmandu with his daughter-in-law this Baisakh. Now, Deepak’s wife works as a daily wage laborer all day. Parimal says a boarding school is educating his grandsons because their father is absent.
Deepak Khatri, Gopal KC, and Pahal KC, who last made contact from Libya in Asar 2081, are still missing, leaving their families doubly burdened.As they spoke, the parents, exhausted by debt and worry, fell silent again. Deepak’s sister Bimala, however, vented her anger against the agent. She demanded action against those responsible, saying, “It’s because of the agent’s deceit that my brother is missing.” Bimala filed a complaint at the Human Trafficking Investigation Bureau, Babarmahal, on 9 Mangsir 2082, but so far, no concrete information about Deepak’s whereabouts has come from the state authorities. “Even after seven months, there’s been no action on our complaint. The agent made our person disappear and cheated us out of 10 million. But the state and government have ignored our plea,” says Bimala.The agent who sent Deepak to America via the ‘donkey route’ is a local from Athbiskot (the family did not want to name him), but he is not in contact with the family. The family is putting pressure on the agent through various means. Parimal, who has been waiting for news of his son for two years, demands, “Either bring my son back alive, or bring his body.”
After Deepak was sent from Nepal to Dubai, he met Gopal KC and Pahal KC, also from Athbiskot. Then the agent grouped the three together to “take them to America.” Ultimately, after their last contact from Libya two years ago, all three disappeared together. Now, all three families are searching for their sons.
On the edge of a field in Aul, Athbiskot–7, Bhadrakumari Khatri (51) stands with a sickle, lost in thought. Her mind is not on the field, but on that evening two years ago, when she saw her son Gopal online as she was returning home after planting rice.
As soon as she saw her son online, she hurriedly called him, which became their last conversation. “Two years ago, on 9 Asar, in the evening after planting rice, I saw him online and called. I asked, ‘Where are you, son?’ He said, ‘I’m in a place called Libya. The police will catch us, so I’ll call in a day or two.’ Since then, I haven’t heard his voice,” said Bhadrakumari.
Scraping the ground with the tip of her sickle and tears streaming down her face, she sobbed, “Where did he go, where? They say they’re searching, but they can’t find him. These agents should be caught and jailed. We haven’t filed a case against the agent. The agent says they’ll search and bring him back, but they haven’t brought him yet.”
Bhadrakumari’s life story is a long series of tears and storms. Sixteen years ago, her husband died after falling from a cliff. The burden of the whole family fell on Bhadrakumari’s shoulders alone. Through labor and farm work, she raised six sons and a daughter—never tiring, never giving up. At every turn in life, she showed courage, but now, after losing her youngest son, she is broken inside.
Three years ago, when Gopal was preparing to go to America, his SEE results had just arrived. He had passed with a ‘B’ grade. His mother remembers how, instead of continuing his studies, he rushed to get his citizenship certificate and became obsessed with going to America. The biggest motivation for Gopal to reach America was his elder brother, who has been in America for four years.
“His elder brother called him over, saying it would be good for him in America, and the youngest wanted to go too. The agent said if he got there young, he’d get citizenship. Bhadrakumari says, “His own brother and all the neighbors’ sons had gone to America and were earning, so the youngest wanted to go too. Who knew it would turn out like this? Otherwise, we wouldn’t have sent him.”
According to Gopal’s brother Narendra, it’s been more than three years since his brother began his journey to America. At first, he was kept in Dubai for nine months. After his visa expired, he was sent to Singapore on an outpass, then returned to Nepal. After that, he was kept in Qatar for three months, then sent to Dubai again. Eventually, after passing through various countries, he was taken to Libya in Asar 2081. There, Gopal met Deepak and Pahal.
“After Gopal and Pahal were last sent to Dubai, they met Deepak there, and the three disappeared together,” says Narendra. “On 10 Asar 2081, he said they were at the place to board the ship and would be leaving that day. Two years have passed since, and there’s been no news.”
After his brother disappeared, Narendra searched for clues on his own. In the process, he found two other youths from Rukum who had been separated from the group at the same place. “At that time, I found out about two others from Rukum who were separated from the group. One was from Magma and the other from Chaurjahari. I even spoke to one of them. He said, ‘They took five of us, and told us they’d come back for the two of us, but never did.’ Other than that, they didn’t know anything.”
Three months after his brother went missing, Narendra himself went to Dubai, met the agent, and inquired about his brother. But after showing only superficial concern, the agent also went out of contact. Then he asked a Nepali named Deepak in Libya for help searching for his brother, but that attempt also failed. In his search, Narendra uncovered another mystery.
Two years ago, the family paid 5.1 million rupees to an agent to send Pahal to America. Including other expenses, about 5.5 million rupees have been spent.A few months after Gopal disappeared, his Messenger account was seen online again. “It turns out a Bengali man has been using Gopal’s mobile till now. When I saw it online a few months after he disappeared, I quickly made a video call. He answered. I asked, ‘This phone belongs to my brother, how did it end up with you?’ He said, ‘We were 35 people boarding a boat, and two of us got off.’ Narendra says, ‘When they were boarding the boat, all 35 had to hand over their phones. Later, when it was time to return a phone, he got my brother’s. When I asked why he was using someone else’s ID, he said, ‘Some of my friends from the 35 are still out there, so I use it from time to time in case someone tries to contact them.’”
Narendra learned that the Bengali man is now in Greece. “Last time, I asked him for the last location where he was separated from my brother. He said, ‘The boat left from a place called Tupruk in Benghazi city, Libya.’ When I told this to the Nepali named Deepak in Libya, he said he was in the eastern part of Libya and that location was in the west, so it was not possible for him to search there.”
Then came another shock for Narendra. The same Bengali man told him, “I heard from the agent that all my friends in the group of 35 have died.” Hearing that, Narendra’s heart went cold. But he still hasn’t given up hope that his brother will be found alive, because no one has officially confirmed their deaths.
“We paid 4.4 million rupees to the agent to send him to America. In addition, nearly 1 million was spent on searching and other expenses. Narendra, Gopal’s elder brother who is in America, says, ‘It’s hard enough to pay off the debt I took to get here, and now my younger brother’s debt has been added. We are overwhelmed.’”
He says that, as ordinary farmers and workers, they are now waiting for his brother while carrying a debt of more than 5 million rupees.
According to Narendra, Gopal reached Dubai through a familiar agent from Athbiskot. From there, another acquaintance took him to Libya. But he does not want to reveal the agent’s name. “The agent who took the money first promised to return it within this Asar. We are also pressuring him to search for my brother. If I reveal the agent’s name now, both possibilities will be lost, so we are waiting a bit longer.”
A few months ago, they gave verbal information to the Human Trafficking Investigation Bureau, Babarmahal, but have not yet filed a written complaint. Narendra says, “If we don’t get clear information about the people and the money, we will proceed legally with all the evidence.”
After Deepak and Gopal, the third youth to disappear into the dark tunnel of the ‘donkey route’ is 21-year-old Pahal KC of Athbiskot–9, Radi. According to his father, Nare Khatri, his last conversation with his son was around 9 a.m. on 10 Asar 2081. Since then, the family has not heard Pahal’s voice. The son, who left home three and a half years ago with colorful dreams of America, is now missing.
Pahal’s story is similar to Gopal’s. As soon as he passed SEE, he put his certificate in a drawer, took his newly made citizenship certificate, and became a traveler on the reckless journey to America. Due to some family compulsion and some peer pressure, Pahal left his parents and homeland, but now, in which corner of which country is he? No one knows.
“That day, he called and said, ‘We’re being taken forward from a place called Libya.’ He also said, ‘The agent hasn’t been in contact for 5–7 days. They say we’ll go to Greece, then Spain, then Brazil. We’ll leave today or tomorrow, but I don’t know how.’” Pahal’s father, Nare Khatri, recalls, “He said, ‘Don’t worry if you don’t hear from us for a day or two.’ After that, even after trying to contact them for two or three days, we couldn’t reach them. We thought they must have left. But two years have passed—where are they, in what condition? There’s no information.”
Two years ago, the family paid 5.1 million rupees to an agent to send Pahal to America. Including other expenses, about 5.5 million rupees have been spent. “We have vouchers for all the money paid to the agent. But the agent who took the money promised to return it within this Asar, so we have hope,” he says. “The agent who took the money and sent him to Dubai is still in contact. The agent who took him from there to Libya and made him disappear is also a local from Athbiskot, but he is not in contact.”
The family, which raised all the money by borrowing at five percent interest, is now completely drowned in debt, but Nare Khatri has not lost hope. He is increasing pressure on the agent, believing his son will return one day. If the problem is not resolved, they are preparing to take legal action soon. In fact, the story of most households in Rukum West is now linked to America. But in this journey, ordinary people have gained very little and lost a lot. Even after losing property and children, people are forced to suppress their immense pain inside because of fear of social stigma and loss of reputation.
Agents lure young people with promises of “taking them to America and a life of happiness.” They convince families with various stories and examples, demand huge sums based only on verbal agreements, and after years of travel, some are taken illegally to America, while others are abandoned along the way. “Why America?” The answer from all three families is the same: “To earn more. At least our sons wouldn’t have to toil on these hills like we do.”
Another question—how is it possible to get so much money in loans? The answer is the same: “The example of those who have reached America and are earning millions is the main reason loans are available. People believe they’ll pay it back in two to four years. So, money is raised by mortgaging property to the bank, borrowing from family and relatives at high interest, and scraping together funds however possible.”
The disappearance of these three sons for two years is known to their families and relatives, but the police say they have “no information on the matter.” District Police Chief DSP Ved Bahadur Paudel said, “No complaint has been filed in our office about these three. If a complaint comes from somewhere, then we’ll start an investigation! I’ve heard there are many such cases. But no one has filed a formal complaint for investigation or action.”
