A human trafficker assisting Indian nationals to illegally enter the United States, says Malta "is an easy transit point", according to a documentary producer who interacted directly with individuals involved in the criminal networks.

Undercover Asia: Inside the Illegal ‘Dunki’ Route, a documentary that exposes the hidden world of human trafficking, follows real cases of Indian nationals who, driven by the promise of a better life abroad, undertake life-threatening journeys through jungles and rivers.

Many pay the equivalent of years of savings to so-called “agents,” and some never return home. So many parents never get to see their children again.

During several re-enactment scenes in the documentary, Maltese passports were shown being casually pulled from a drawer by an actor portraying a trafficker. Why were Maltese passports included? Was it simply a random choice, or was there a deeper reason behind it?

To clarify, I reached out to the producers credited at the end of the documentary. Suyash Shrivastava, the director, cinematographer and co-producer, responded and provided insight into the inclusion of Maltese passports in the film.

“When I was out interviewing these ‘agents,’ they told us some countries are easy transit points for them,” Mr Shrivastava explains. “That’s why we included Malta in the re-enactment. It was based on real information from the traffickers themselves.”

In human trafficking, a “transit point” is a location where traffickers move or hide people, facilitating the transport of victims between their place of origin and their final destination while avoiding detection.

Suyash Shrivastava / Instagram

While Malta isn’t the most common transit country mentioned, one trafficker did name it during his interview, a detail that stuck with the film crew. 

Mr Shrivastava shared with me the heartbreaking mission behind the documentary. Hundreds of young Indian people, and some from neighbouring countries like China, are risking everything on life-threatening journeys to reach the US. Many disappear or die along the way, spending life savings to pay “agents” who promise safe passage.

“The journey is brutal and unpredictable,” he says. “We wondered why people would choose such a dangerous path if they had money. Then, after speaking to so many Gen Z migrants, we realised they are chasing the ‘show-off life’ promoted on social media.”

“They see pictures of luxury cars, lavish lifestyles, and believe the West is an easy ticket to wealth. The agents sell this dream to them,” Mr Shrivastava adds.

The business of human trafficking

The documentary makes it clear: human trafficking is a business built on desperation, manipulated hopes and the brutality of criminal networks.

“These traffickers live double lives,” Mr Shrivastava says. “They work regular jobs but are also running illegal networks to send young people to the US.”

The victims? “Youngsters begging agents to help them escape their circumstances, often without understanding the risks,” he explains. “The agents exploit this desperation, taking advantage of their hopes and dreams.”

The context of the documentary

“While social media sells the dream, agents sell the route,” the documentary states in the first few minutes. The traffickers operate through sprawling informal networks, sometimes with contacts in immigration departments, helping people cross borders with falsified or irregular documents.

Screengrab from the documentary

One line, and the image of a mother’s defeated face, kept replaying in my head: “A mother should get her son back.” Simple words that carry unimaginable grief.

The presence of Maltese passports in the documentary is a reminder of how global this crisis is, how traffickers view certain passports as valuable tools within their networks. While the documentary does not allege Maltese passports are being used in actual trafficking, their inclusion reflects real insights gathered from traffickers themselves.

For Malta, a country often celebrated for its citizenship programs and global mobility, it raises difficult questions about perception and vulnerability in the fight against human trafficking.