AHMEDABAD: More shocking details have come to light in the investigation of a Gujarati family that went to death during cross-border smuggling from Canada to the US.
The local agent responsible for their suspected migration had sent about 10 families to the US through the Canadian border over the past 3 years. Three of these families are feared missing. Since their journey westward, they never came into contact with people back home.
The state CID (crime) has already started investigation into these deaths. Jagdish Patel, 35, his wife, Vaishali, 33, and their children Vihanga, 12, and Dharmik, 3. They were residents of Nava Dingucha village in Kalol taluka of Gandhinagar. In what has emerged as a global human trafficking racket, the four were part of a larger group of Indians who were being smuggled into the US from Canada.
The large group lasted more than 11 hours in freezing cold around 35 degrees Celsius on the US-Canada border. Jagdish Patel and his family got separated from the group at night in the bitter cold. Their bodies were found barely 10 meters from the US border on the Canadian side.
The local agent, whose name has not yet been disclosed by the police, deported the Patels to Canada in the first week of January. “He used to send people to Sri Lanka and Singapore earlier. In the last four years, he started sending people to the US through the Canadian border,” police said.
“The agent would send people on tourist visas to smaller countries like Thailand for about five days to a week to establish their cover as genuine travelers. Later, he deported them to Canada on tourist visas. After landing there. Later, these people were smuggled into the US in a van or a car,” said a police officer.
Residents of Nava Dingucha, which has a population of about 3,600 people, said the agent had deported about 10 families from the village as well as the surrounding villages to Canada. A local source said, “However, three families have gone missing. We have not received any information from them.”
,Patel family 1.5 crore would have been paid.
There are many in this field who decide to give the elusive ‘American dream’ a shot, no matter the literal and figurative cost. Police said agents take advantage of this by promising families in the US without valid visas.
“The agent and his associates charge around Rs 70 lakh per adult and Rs 25 lakh per child. In the case of the Patel family, they are suspected to have taken at least Rs 1.5 crore. The local agent, another agent in Mumbai, and Canada or their equivalent in the US recovers the full amount after the person reaches his destination in the US,” said a local source.
Apart from CID (crime), security agencies of US and Canada have also started investigating the matter.
The local agent responsible for their suspected migration had sent about 10 families to the US through the Canadian border over the past 3 years. Three of these families are feared missing. Since their journey westward, they never came into contact with people back home.
The state CID (crime) has already started investigation into these deaths. Jagdish Patel, 35, his wife, Vaishali, 33, and their children Vihanga, 12, and Dharmik, 3. They were residents of Nava Dingucha village in Kalol taluka of Gandhinagar. In what has emerged as a global human trafficking racket, the four were part of a larger group of Indians who were being smuggled into the US from Canada.
The large group lasted more than 11 hours in freezing cold around 35 degrees Celsius on the US-Canada border. Jagdish Patel and his family got separated from the group at night in the bitter cold. Their bodies were found barely 10 meters from the US border on the Canadian side.
The local agent, whose name has not yet been disclosed by the police, deported the Patels to Canada in the first week of January. “He used to send people to Sri Lanka and Singapore earlier. In the last four years, he started sending people to the US through the Canadian border,” police said.
“The agent would send people on tourist visas to smaller countries like Thailand for about five days to a week to establish their cover as genuine travelers. Later, he deported them to Canada on tourist visas. After landing there. Later, these people were smuggled into the US in a van or a car,” said a police officer.
Residents of Nava Dingucha, which has a population of about 3,600 people, said the agent had deported about 10 families from the village as well as the surrounding villages to Canada. A local source said, “However, three families have gone missing. We have not received any information from them.”
,Patel family 1.5 crore would have been paid.
There are many in this field who decide to give the elusive ‘American dream’ a shot, no matter the literal and figurative cost. Police said agents take advantage of this by promising families in the US without valid visas.
“The agent and his associates charge around Rs 70 lakh per adult and Rs 25 lakh per child. In the case of the Patel family, they are suspected to have taken at least Rs 1.5 crore. The local agent, another agent in Mumbai, and Canada or their equivalent in the US recovers the full amount after the person reaches his destination in the US,” said a local source.
Apart from CID (crime), security agencies of US and Canada have also started investigating the matter.
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