New Delhi: Some Indian persons, entities and Canadian colleges have come under the lens of the Enforcement Directorate for allegedly trafficking Indians into the United States through the Canadian border.
The ED probe is linked to the tragic death of a four-member Indian family from Dingucha village in Gujarat, who succumbed to severe cold while attempting to cross the Canada-US border illegally in 2022.
In a statement to the media, the agency said that it carried out searches at 8 locations in Mumbai, Gandhinagar, Nagpur and Vadodara as part of the ongoing investigation against a man named Bhavesh Ashokbhai Patel. Patel is alleged to have conspired to send the victims to the US through Canada using illegal channels.
What ED said in its statement
The statement said: “Directorate of Enforcement (ED), Ahmedabad Zonal Office has conducted search operations on 10.12.2024 and 19.12.2024, under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002 at 8 locations in Mumbai, Nagpur, Gandhinagar and Vadodara as part of the ongoing probe in the case of Bhavesh Ashokbhai Patel and others (Dingucha case) for hatching a well-planned conspiracy, to send the victims/persons to USA through Canada via illegal channel thereby committing the offence of human trafficking.” The agency stated that Patel and others had plotted to send Indians to the US via Canada under the guise of securing admissions in Canadian colleges.
Modus operandi of the racket
The ED revealed the modus operandi of the racket, explaining that people are given Canadian student visas. Upon arriving in Canada, instead of attending college, they cross the US-Canada border. Later, the fees paid to Canadian colleges were transferred to the individuals’ accounts. Indians were “lured” into the racket and charged between Rs 55 and Rs 60 lakh per person, it added.
The agency statement said that the ED initiated the probe based on an FIR registered by DCB, Crime Branch, Ahmedabad City, Gujarat against Bhavesh Ashokbhai Patel and others after a family of four Indian nationals of Dingucha village, Gujarat was found dead on Canada-US Border 19.01.2022. “All the accused, in conspiracy with each other, lured the innocent Indian nationals by charging them huge amounts of Rs 55 to 60 lakh per person, for causing them to illegally enter the USA through Canada.”
The ED revealed that two “entities” – one located in Mumbai and the other in Nagpur – had struck an “agreement” to facilitate the admission of Indians in foreign universities on a commission basis. The agency further added that recent searches revealed one entity refers around 25,000 students annually, while the other sends over 10,000 students to various colleges abroad each year.
The ED pointed out that around 112 colleges based in Canada have entered into an agreement with one entity and over 150 with another entity. Their involvement in the instant case is under probe.
(with inputs from PTI)
