'Charged Rs 55-60 lakh per person': ED probes Canadian colleges for alleged involvement in trafficking Indians

The case stems from the tragic death of a four-member Indian family from Dingucha village in Gujarat, who died from extreme cold while attempting to illegally cross the Canada-US border on January 19, 2022.

Sunita Iyer

First Published Dec 25, 2024, 12:09 PM IST | Last Updated Dec 25, 2024, 12:09 PM IST

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is investigating the alleged involvement of several Canadian colleges and certain Indian entities in a money laundering case connected to the trafficking of Indians across the Canada-US border.

The ED initiated the investigation after taking cognizance of an FIR filed by the Ahmedabad Police against Bhavesh Ashokbhai Patel, the primary accused, and others, leading to the filing of a complaint under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

Patel and others are alleged to have "hatched a well-planned conspiracy to send people (Indians) to the USA through Canada via illegal channels thereby committing the offence of human trafficking," it said.

The agency previously discovered that as part of the racket, the accused facilitated admissions for individuals seeking to illegally migrate to the US by enrolling them in colleges and universities in Canada.

Student visas for Canada were arranged for these individuals, and upon their arrival, instead of attending the institutions, they unlawfully crossed the US-Canada border, the agency stated in a release on Tuesday.

"In view of this, the fee received by colleges based in Canada was remitted back to the individuals' account," the ED alleged.

According to the ED, Indians were "lured" into the racket and charged between Rs 55 and Rs 60 lakh per person.

The agency conducted fresh searches on December 10 and December 19 at eight locations in Mumbai, Nagpur, Gandhinagar, and Vadodara in connection with the case.

During these searches, it was discovered that two "entities"—one based in Mumbai and the other in Nagpur—had entered into an "agreement" to facilitate the admission of Indians into foreign universities on a commission basis.

The ED revealed that one of these entities refers around 25,000 students annually, while the other refers more than 10,000 students to various colleges abroad each year.

"Further, it is gathered that there are around 1,700 agents/partners based in Gujarat and around 3,500 agents/partners of other entities all over India out of which around 800 are active. It is further revealed that around 112 colleges based in Canada have entered into an agreement with one entity and more than 150 with another entity. Their involvement in the instant case is under investigation," the ED said.

The agency suspects that among the 262 colleges in Canada, some located near the Canada-US border are involved in the trafficking of Indian nationals.

The ED stated that it has frozen Rs 19 lakh in bank deposits, seized incriminating documents and digital devices, and confiscated two vehicles as part of its investigation.

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