Indians Trafficking In America: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is investigating the money laundering case related to smuggling of Indian citizens into America through the Canada border. There is alleged involvement of some Canadian colleges and Indian institutions in this matter. This investigation is being done after the death of four people from Dingucha village of Gujarat. On January 19, 2022, four people of the same family, who were trying to cross the border illegally, died due to severe cold.
According to news agency PTI, ED started its investigation after taking cognizance of the FIR lodged by Ahmedabad Police against Bhavesh Ashokbhai Patel and others. Patel is accused of conspiring to smuggle Indian citizens into the US through Canada using illegal channels. This case has been registered under the criminal provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
Canadian colleges and universities included?
According to the ED, the accused facilitated the admission of individuals into colleges and universities in Canada as part of the smuggling network. These people had applied for student visas to Canada, but upon reaching Canada they did not go to the institutions. Instead, they crossed the border illegally and entered the United States. The ED has alleged that the fees paid to these Canadian colleges were sent back to people’s accounts, raising suspicions about collusion between the institutions.
55 to 60 lakh rupees were collected from one person
Through this racket, Rs 55 lakh to Rs 60 lakh were allegedly collected from Indian citizens seeking entry into America. In its ongoing investigation, ED had conducted searches at eight places in Mumbai, Nagpur, Gandhinagar and Vadodara on December 10 and 19. The search revealed two entities, one in Mumbai and the other in Nagpur. They had agreements with foreign universities to admit students on commission basis.
It is alleged that the scale of this network is very large, with one institution sending around 25,000 students to foreign colleges every year, while the other institution sends more than 10,000 students. The investigation also revealed the involvement of 1,700 agents or partners in Gujarat and 3,500 in the rest of India, of which about 800 are still active.
ED action
Additionally, the ED revealed that 112 Canadian colleges had tie-ups with one of the units under investigation, while another unit was linked to more than 150 colleges. ED suspects that some institutions located near the Canada-US border may be directly involved in human trafficking activities. During its searches, the ED froze bank deposits of Rs 19 lakh, seized two vehicles and seized incriminating documents and digital devices.
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