India alleges that Canadian colleges are linked to the trafficking of foreign students across the Canada-US border

Indian law enforcement agencies say they are investigating alleged links between dozens of Canadian colleges and two entity of Mumbai, accused of smuggling students across the Canada-U.S. border.

A press release on Tuesday from India’s Enforcement Directorate — a multidisciplinary organization that investigates money laundering and foreign exchange laws — said a multi-city raid revealed incrimination evidence of human trafficking.

The allegations have not been tested in court. The federal government, the RCMP, the Indian High Commission in Ottawa and several College of Canada officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The US Embassy said Thursday it had no comment.

Indian officials say they launched their investigation after Jagdish Baldevbhai Patel, 39, was found dead with his wife and two children near a border crossing between Manitoba and the United States on 19 January 2022.

Last month, a Minnesota jury found Steve Shand of Florida and Harshkumar Patel, an Indian national arrested in Chicago, guilty. (new window) on four counts of bringing, transporting, and profiting from unauthorized persons into the US.

Patel is a common name in India and the family had no relation to the accused.

Prosecutors said Harshkumar Patel coordinated a sophisticated operation, while Shand was a driver to take 11 Indian immigrants to the Minnesota side of the border. Only seven survived the foot crossing. Canadian authorities found the Patels later that morning, frozen to death.

Harshkumar Patel and Shand have not yet been convicted and may appeal.

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2 convicted of people smuggling in 2022 family death along Canada-US border

1 month agoDuration 2:38A Minnesota jury found Steve Shand and Harshkumar Patel guilty of all human smuggling charges after a family from India froze to death in Manitoba trying to cross the Canada-US border on foot in 2022 .

India claims the man arranged admission to Canadian schools

Tuesday’s press release said officials have launched an investigation following a report filed against Bhavesh Ashokbhai Patel, who allegedly arranged the family’s trip.

Each family member was allegedly charged the equivalent of between $93,000 and $102,000 to cross into the United States from Canada, the directorate claimed.

The incident was called the Dingucha case in India, named after the village in the western Indian state of Gujarat where the family hails from.

The Enforcement Directorate said it searched eight places last week in Mumbai, Nagpur in Maharashtra state and Gandhinagar and Vadodara in Gujarat.

It also claims that Bhavesh Ashokbhai Patel arranged for people to get admission in Canadian colleges, which helped in getting student visas.

The press release did not specify the schools believed to be involved.

The directorate claims more than 100 colleges across Canada are involved

Once individuals or students arrive in Canada, instead of joining college, they illegally crossed the US-Canada border and never enrolled in Canadian colleges, it was said.

The fee paid for college admission was then refunded, according to the Enforcement Directorate.

The release claimed that the search found that about 25,000 students were referred by one entity, over 10,000 students referred by another entity to various colleges outside India every year.

The network has about 1,700 agents in Gujarat and about 3,500 in India, of which 800 are active, authorities say.

The communication claims that approximately 112 colleges based in Canada have entered into an agreement with a single entity, whereas more than 150 colleges did it with another entity.

It is not clear from the communication whether any college has ties to both entities.

The police investigated the documents used by the students

Anil Pratham, a former senior police official from Gujarat who has since retired, was involved in the investigation of the case since January 2022, when the Patels died.

He told The Canadian Press that his team analyzed documents such as certificates and documents used by students to apply to colleges and universities abroad.

The police then contacted the villagers through various societies, asking them for help.

I have conveyed to the villagers that you should come and tell (us) who are the victims and who are the agents who live there, he said in an interview in Gujarat. This helped us in our investigation.

The process took almost three years as the first step is to establish the crime, charge, investigate and finalize those charges, he said, noting that the Gujarat police received help from their counterparts in Canada and New York.

It also advises those who want to go abroad to study or work to take the legal route.

There is a legal way to go from India to any country you want, he said.

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Can Trudeau and Modi mend relationship after India accused of crimes in Canada? | Canada tonight

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Diplomatic tensions between Canada, India

News of the Indian probe comes amid tensions with the US over border security, a federal rethink of international student policy (new window)and diplomatic tensions with India over New Delhi’s alleged targeting of Sikh activists in Canada.

US President-elect Donald Trump has threatened to impose tariffs on Canadian goods if Ottawa does not sufficiently crack down on migrants and drugs crossing into the US illegally, prompting Ottawa to commit $1.3 billion over six years. (new window) to address border security.

Canada’s new Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc and Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly traveled to Florida on Thursday to talk about border security. (new window) and trade with the future president of the USA.

Before that, Canada expelled six Indian diplomats in October (new window)because of allegations that they used their position to collect information on Canadians and then passed it on to criminal gangs that directly targeted the individuals.

At the time, Canada also alleged that India’s home minister had ordered intelligence-gathering operations (new window) against Sikh separatists advocating for an independent country called Khalistan to be carved out of India. New Delhi rejects Ottawa’s claims.

The Canadian Press