Indian law enforcement agencies say they are investigating alleged links between dozens of Canadian colleges and two “institutions” in Mumbai accused of illegally transporting students across the Canada-US border. is
A news release on Tuesday from India's Enforcement Directorate – a multi-agency body that investigates money laundering and foreign exchange laws – said the multi-city search for “criminals” of “human trafficking” was underway. Evidence has emerged.
The allegations were not tested in court. Officials with the federal government, the RCMP, and the Indian High Commission in Ottawa, and several Canadian colleges did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The US Embassy said Thursday it had no comment.
Indian authorities say they launched an investigation after 39-year-old Jagdish Baldevbhai Patel was found dead along with his wife and two children on January 19, 2022, near the border crossing between Manitoba and the United States.
Last month, a Minnesota jury found two men – Steve Shand of Florida and an Indian national arrested in Chicago – Harsh Kumar Patel guilty of bringing, transporting and exploiting unauthorized people into the United States. on four charges.
Patel is a common name in India, and the family was not related to the accused.
Prosecutors said that Harsh Kumar Patel facilitated a sophisticated operation while Shand was the driver. Prosecutors said Shand was supposed to pick up 11 Indian immigrants on the Minnesota side of the border. Only seven survived the foot crossing. Canadian authorities found the Patel family dead from the cold later that morning.
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Harsh Kumar Patel and Shand have not yet been convicted and may appeal.
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The directorate claimed that each family member was allegedly charged between $93,000 and $102,000 to travel from Canada to the United States.
The incident has been dubbed the Dingocha case in India, named after the village in the western Indian state of Gujarat where the family originated.
The Enforcement Directorate said it searched eight locations in Mumbai, Nagpur in Maharashtra state and Gandhinagar and Vadodara in Gujarat last week.
It also claims that Bhavesh Ashokbhai Patel allegedly arranged for people to get admission in Canadian colleges, which helped them get student visas. The news release did not specify which schools are accused.
“Once individuals or students arrived in Canada, instead of attending college, they crossed the US-Canada border illegally and never attended college(s) in Canada,” she said. He said.
Thereafter, the fees paid for admission to the college were refunded.
The release claimed that the search revealed that around 25,000 students are referred to an “anty” and over 10,000 students to different colleges outside India every year.
The network has around 1,700 agents in Gujarat and around 3,500 agents across India, of which 800 are active.
The release claims that “about 112 Canadian-based colleges” have contracted with one institution, while “more than 150” colleges have done so with another institution.
It is not clear from the release whether any college is affiliated with the two institutions.
Anil Pratham, a former top-ranking police official in Gujarat who has since retired, was involved in the investigation of the case until January 2022 when the Patel family died.
He told The Canadian Press that his team looked at paperwork, such as certificates and documents from students applying to overseas colleges and universities.
The police then contacted the villagers through various societies and sought their help.
“We told the villagers that you come out and tell (us) who are the victims and who are the agents living there,” he said in an interview from Gujarat.
He said that the process took about three years because the first step is to determine the crime, charge, investigate and finalize the charges.
Pratham said the police in Gujarat received help from their counterparts in Canada and New York.
He also offered advice for those who want to study or work abroad.
He said that there is a legal way to go to any country from India.
News of the Indian probe comes amid tensions with the US over border security, a federal review of international student policy, and diplomatic tensions with India over New Delhi's alleged targeting of Sikh activists in Canada. .
US President-elect Donald Trump has threatened to slap tariffs on Canadian goods if Ottawa doesn't do enough to crack down on illegal immigrants and drugs, prompting Ottawa to Allocates $1.3 billion over six years to address border security.
Public Safety Minister Dominique LeBlanc and Secretary of State Melanie Joly visited Florida on Thursday to discuss border security and trade with the incoming US president.
Earlier, Canada expelled six Indian diplomats in October, over allegations that they used their positions to gather information about Canadians and then pass it on to criminal gangs who Directly targeted individuals.
At the time, Canada also alleged that India's home minister had ordered intelligence-gathering operations against Sikh separatists who supported an independent state called Khalistan to be separated from India. New Delhi rejects Ottawa's claims.