India’s Enforcement Directorate reports they are investigating alleged links between dozens of colleges in Canada and entities in Mumbai accused of illegally trafficking Indian students across the Canada-U.S. border.
A multi-city search has turned up incriminating proof of human trafficking, according to the Enforcement Directorate, a multidisciplinary agency that looks into money laundering and foreign currency regulations.
Following the discovery of 39-year-old Jagdish Baldevbhai Patel, his wife, and two children dead on January 19, 2022, close to a border crossing between Manitoba and the United States, Indian officials said they began their investigation.
Steve Shand of Florida and Harshkumar Patel, an Indian national who was apprehended in Chicago, were convicted guilty of four counts of human trafficking last month by a Minnesota jury for bringing illegal immigrants into the country for financial gain.
According to the prosecution, Shand was a driver responsible for picking up 11 Indian migrants on the Minnesota side of the border, while Harshkumar Patel oversaw a complex operation. Seven people made it via the foot crossing.
Later that morning, the RCMP discovered the Patel family dead from the cold.
Canada’s Student Visa Program
This week, Indian authorities opened an inquiry after a complaint was made against Bhavesh Ashokbhai Patel for allegedly organizing the family’s trip. According to officials, each family member should have paid between $93,000 and $102,000 to enter the United States from Canada.
According to the Enforcement Directorate, Bhavesh Ashokbhai Patel allegedly assisted Indian people in obtaining student visas by arranging their admission to Canadian universities.
Once in Canada, the individuals crossed the U.S.-Canada border illegally rather than enrolling in college. After that, the money paid for the college entrance was given back.
The Enforcement Directorate reported one entity referred over 25,000 students, while another institution referred over 10,000 students annually to different colleges. The people trafficking scheme is associated with over 112 Canadian colleges.
The announcement of the Indian probe coincides with diplomatic difficulties with India, a federal reconsideration of international student policy, and border security issues with the United States.
Threats from Trump
If the Trudeau administration does not adequately combat illegal immigration and drug trafficking, U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has threatened to levy tariffs on Canadian goods.
Dominic LeBlanc, Canada’s new finance minister, and Mélanie Joly, Canada’s foreign affairs minister, visited Florida on Thursday to discuss trade and border security with the incoming U.S. president.
Before that, in October (new window), Canada expelled six Indian ambassadors on charges that they had used their position to gather information about Canadians and then given it to criminal gangs, who then went after the individuals directly.
Canada also claimed at the time that India’s home affairs minister had directed intelligence-gathering activities (new window) against Sikh separatists who wanted to separate India into an independent nation of Khalistan.
Source: The Press in Canada
