AHMEDABAD: "You have to walk in -35C to evade arrest by Canadian or US security agencies.
Follow the lights of an American gas station because you will find no navigation available in the dark and extreme weather." These were the last instructions given to 11 Gujaratis including four of a Patel family from Dingucha of Gandhinagar before they embarked on the deadly mission to cross into the US from Canada.This was revealed by two illegal immigration agents Bhavesh Patel (30) from Palsana village in Kalol and Yogesh Pate (42) from Vastrapur in Ahmedabad who were arrested by the city crime branch on Saturday night for their alleged involvement in sending four of Patel family from Dingucha and seven others to the US illegally.
The two alleged human smugglers have been charged with culpable homicide.The arrest comes a year after the Manitoba Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) of Canada discovered bodies of Jagdish Patel (39), Vaishali Patel (37) and their two children - daughter Vihangi Patel (11) and son Dharmik Patel (3) near Emerson, Manitoba, approximately 12 metres from the Canada-US border.The family had frozen to death in their daring attempt to take cover of the hostile weather and illegally enter the US.
The deaths had triggered shock locally and internationally putting the spotlight back on the rampant illegal immigration driven by desperate desire to move to foreign shores by paying big bucks to human smugglers.
DCP, Crime, Chaitanya Mandalik said, Bhavesh Patel from Kalol and Yogesh Patel from Ahmedabad had sent 11 persons mainly from Kalol and Mehsana to Canada from where they were supposed to cross over to the US illegally.
Two others known as Fenil Patel and Bittu Paji from Canada, helped in their illegal immigration from Canada to the US, Mandlik added.
Fenil and Bittu Paji, whose real name was not known to police, are shown absconding in the FIR field with the city crime branch.DCP (crime) Mandlik said that their agency conducted a secret investigation and arrested Bhavesh and Yogesh Patel based on human intelligence and technical surveillance.
Crime branch PSI DB Thakor is the complainant in the case.
Mandlik added that primary investigation has revealed that despite knowing that the weather conditions were extreme on the Canada-US border, the human smugglers asked the 11 illegal immigration aspirants to walk and cross the border which led to the deaths of four from Dingucha.
Sources said that consumed by the American Dream, the Patel family had reached Canada but was reluctant to cross the border in the extreme cold citing young children.
The agents told them that stormy, cold weather conditions were ideal cover to cross into the US undetected.
They said it was their best opportunity and last chance to cross into the US or else return to India or stay back in Canada, a police official said.