ABCD of a racket: 6.5/7 in IELTS, can't speak English

Six were apprehended from a sinking boat in the Saint Regis river in Akwesasne, US

On March 28, US border authorities arrested six youths from Gujarat who were trying to cross over from Canada.

The six, who were in the 19-21 age group, were apprehended from a sinking boat in the Saint Regis river in Akwesasne, US, close to the Canadian border.

The youths — four from Mehsana, two from Gandhinagar and Patan — were subsequently hauled in front of a court.

What followed completely baffled officials.

During court proceedings, when the judge inquired from the students how they entered the US, they couldn't answer in English. Perplexed, the court appointed a Hindi translator to get them to talk. To its astonishment, the court found that the students had "scored 6.5 to 7 bands in IELTS".

Smelling something fishy, the criminal fraud investigation unit of the US Consulate General in Mumbai sent an email to Mehsana Superintendent of Police to conduct an appropriate inquiry.

On launching a probe, police unearthed an ingenious racket devised by human traffickers involving the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) exam, which is mandatory to secure students visas, and Canadian colleges.

Police in Mehsana said traffickers in Gujarat ensure students high scores in IELTS to get them admitted to colleges in Canada. Once they reach there, the visa holders are smuggled into America.

Inspector Bhavesh Rathod, special operation group (SOG), Mehsana district, told DH that their SP received a request from the US Consulate General in Mumbai to "find out how these four students from Mehsana scored high numbers".

He said the probe has identified two agents — Jigar and Chetan Patel — who sent these youths to Canada. The four youths from Mehsana have been identified as Dhruv Patel, Neel Patel, Urvish Patel and Savan Patel.

The inquiry so far has revealed that the agency which conducted the exam didn't maintain transparency. "The CCTV cameras of the hall were turned off during the exam held in September last year," Rathod said.

The youths had appeared for the IELTS exam at a centre in Navsari town of Gujarat on September 25, 2021, and went to Canada on student visas on March 19. They were then caught at the US-Canada border on March 28.

Rathod told DH that so far, 25 persons had been examined and their statements recorded. "I have also sent notice to Ahmedabad-based Plent Edu to record their statement and bring relevant materials." The agency is said to have been authorised to conduct the exams.

Although this is the first time that this particular type of modus operandi has been busted, North Gujarat villages are full of stories of people attempting to enter the US illegally and getting caught in the act.