After release of the movie Dunki and the recent incident of carrying suspected victims of human trafficking was rerouted to India,

Illegal immigration by young Indians to countries such as the US, the UK, and Canada has come under spotlight.

The flight, which made headlines last week, was on its way to Nicaragua after being detained in France.

"Donkey Flight" has become the catchall term for such illegal movements -- a corruption of the Punjabi work "dunki" meaning to hop from one place to another.

Every year more than 20,000 young men and women from Punjab attempt irregular migration, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime hjhad said in a report back in 2009.

As the intercepted flight indicated, the number has only grown. While no consolidated data exists given the secrecy exercised, there are other indicators.

Since 2012, the Punjab Police have issued over 10 lakh Police Clearance Certificates (PCC) -- a spike that raises aspirations even among those of the young generation who have no means to move abroad. 

A Special Investigation Team has handled about 645 such cases, resulting in 518 arrests, Anil Vij, the Home Minister Haryana has said on Saturday.

The process is not easy. Apart from the high financial cost, there is every risk of being thrown into jail at any stage.

"My agent had promised to send me to Italy for 12 lakhs," said Rahul, a resident of Haryana's Kurukshetra, recalling his bid to migrate a few months ago.

"On April 8, they sent me first to Dubai and then to Egypt and was told that I will be sent to Libya from where I will have a direct flight," he said.

Though he managed to reach Libya, he soon found the cost was too great, landing in jail shortly after.

One day he suffered a heart attack in jail. Thought to be dead, he was thrown on the sand outside.

Many others are not lucky enough to make it back.

Many others, like Malkeet from Kaithal district, the journey proved fatal.

His family got to know of his death from a video that had gone viral.