A family from Gujarat died of cold on the US border, smugglers declared themselves innocent
An Indian-origin man, accused in a 2022 human trafficking case in which four people of a family from Gujarat’s Dingucha were killed, has pleaded not guilty to seven counts of human trafficking. A family of four, including two children, were found frozen to death while trying to cross the US-Canada border.
Harshkumar Ramanlal Patel, 28, also known as ‘Dirty Harry,’ entered his plea during a brief teleconference with U.S. Magistrate Judge Leo Brisbois of Duluth.
Along with them, Steven Shand, 49, of Deltona, Florida, who was arrested on January 19, 2022 while driving a van carrying seven people, including the four victims, from Dingucha, Gujarat near the US border, also pleaded not guilty to four counts. Requested to be. Same hearing.
Proceedings in Shand’s case had been stalled several times before Patel’s arrest last month.
Patel remains in federal custody.
The victims, Jagdish Patel (39), his wife Vaishali (37), and their two children – Vihangi (11) and Dharmik (3), were residents of Dingucha near Gandhinagar. Found frozen near Emerson, ManitobaAbout 10 meters from the Canada-US border while attempting to enter the US illegally.
Patel’s illegal status in America
In a recent court document, an agent with the US Department of Homeland Security said Patel has been denied a US visa at least five times, including four times at the US Consulate in India and the US Consulate in Ottawa, Canada. Involved once.
The agent said, he is in America illegally.
Patel, allegedly associated with a Gujarat-based human trafficking ring, is accused of facilitating illegal entry of Indian citizens into Canada on student visas and later taking them to the Chicago area.
According to prosecutors, these migrants were forced to work at substandard wages in Indian restaurants to pay off debts to smugglers.
Four members of a family from India died near the border in Minnesota. Jagdish Patel, his wife Vaishaliben and their two children, Vihangi and Dharmik, all died.
According to the AP, they were found just 10 meters from the border near Emerson, Manitoba.
How the case was revealed through a rented van
The entire affair came to light when US Border Patrol in Minnesota stopped a rented van driven by Shand.
Inside the van were two Indians who had entered the US illegally from Gujarat, while five others were seen roaming nearby.
According to court documents, they told officers they had been walking for more than 11 hours in temperatures below zero degrees Fahrenheit (-34 degrees Celsius).
WhatsApp messages exchanged between Shand and Patel appeared in court filings. Shand urged, “Please make sure everyone is prepared for blizzard conditions,” to which Patel responded, “Done.”
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau described the deaths as “heartbreaking” and highlighted the need for comprehensive solutions to deal with such tragedies.