4 of Dingucha family froze to death; Canada arrests Gujarati smuggler after 3 years

An Indian-origin man accused of assisting in the smuggling of a four-member family from Gujarat—who froze to death near the Canada-US border in January 2022—has been arrested in Canada following a US extradition request. A Red Corner Notice was also issued against Fenil Patel, according to Gujarat Police. This arrest comes four months after two human smugglers, including another Indian national, were sentenced to up to 10 years in the US for their roles in attempting to illegally bring the family from Dingucha, Gujarat, into the US.

Fenil Patel was taken into custody “pursuant to an extradition request from the US,” CBC News quoted a Canadian Justice Department spokesperson as saying.

Spokesperson Katelyn Moores said the department could not share more, citing confidentiality of state-to-state extradition requests, according to CBC News.

The four, including two children, died while attempting to cross the Canadian border into the US after being caught in a blizzard.

Fenil Patel and the second accused, identified as Bittu Paji, are believed to have driven Jagdish Patel, his wife Vaishali and both the children to the Canada-US border on January 18, 2022, according to a report in The Times of India.

The four were found frozen to death the next day due to inadequate warm clothing for the snowstorm they were traversing through, according to the report.

The incident drew widespread attention in both India and Canada, highlighting the growing threat of organised human trafficking.

RED CORNER NOTICE WERE ISSUED AGAINST FENIL PATEL, BITTU PAJI

Last year in June, the police said all efforts were underway to bring the accused to India, including correspondence with the Canadian authorities.

“Fenil Patel and Bittu Paji are named in an FIR for the alleged offences of culpable homicide and human trafficking. Red Corner Notices (RCN) against the two have already been issued,” then DCP (crime) Chaitanya Mandlik said, TOI reported.

In May 2023, Indian authorities said they had started the process to extradite Patel and another man accused in the case, according to CBC.

In a previous interview with CBC News, Mandlik said the police requested the Royal Canadian Mounted Police’s help to find Fenil Patel and arrest him in Canada so he could be returned to India to face charges.

Yogesh Patel from Ahmedabad and Bhavesh Patel from Kalol, previously arrested, informed police in Gujarat that they collaborated with Patel, who managed the Canadian side of the human smuggling network, according to the TOI report.

TWO SMUGGLERS CONVICTED AND JAILED

Fenil Patel’s name was frequently mentioned last year during the Minnesota trial of two men convicted for their involvement in the Patel family’s smuggling operation.

Steve Shand of Florida and Harshkumar Ramanlal Patel, an Indian national, were found guilty in November 2024 of smuggling and profiting from transporting unauthorised individuals into the US.

Earlier in May, the two human smugglers were sentenced to up to 10 years in prison in Minnesota for their role in an international human smuggling operation that resulted in the death of the family of four.

FAMILY FROM GUJARAT FROZE TO DEATH NEAR US BORDER

Prosecutors said the victims—Jagdish Patel, 39; his wife, Vaishaliben, who was in her mid-30s; their 11-year-old daughter, Vihangi; and 3-year-old son, Dharmik—froze to death. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police found their bodies just north of the border between Manitoba and Minnesota on January 19, 2022.

The family was from Dingucha, a village in Gujarat, as was Harshkumar Patel. Patel is a common Indian surname, and the victims were not related to the defendant.

The couple were schoolteachers, local news reports said. So many villagers from Dingucha have gone overseas in hopes of better lives—legally and otherwise—that many homes there stand vacant.

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