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Gujarati family found dead on US-Canada border identified

Four persons were exposed to extreme cold while trying to cross the border to the United States in what is believed to be a case of human smuggling
Last Updated 28 January 2022, 03:31 IST

Four persons found frozen to death on the Canada-US border last week were from Gujarat's Dingucha village in Kalol taluka of state capital Gandhinagar district. They are from the same family who had left for Canada on visitor visas and were exposed to extreme cold while trying to cross the border to the United States in what is believed to be a case of human smuggling.

"Further to the report of the tragic death of four people, including an infant, whose bodies were recovered near the Canada-US border in Manitoba on January 19, 2022, Canadian authorities have confirmed the identifies of the four deceased as; (i) Jagdish Baldeshbhai Patel, male, 39, (ii) Vaishaliben Jagdishkumar Patel, female, 37, (iii)Vihangi Jagdishkumar Patel, female, 11, and (iv) Dharmik Jagdishkumar Patel, male, 3. All were Indians and next of kin of the deceased have been informed," High Commission of India, Ottawa (Canada), said in a statement posted on its Twitter handle.

The statement also said, "...this tragedy has brought into focus the need to ensure that migration and mobility are made safe and legal and that such tragedies do not recur."

Meanwhile, Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), Manitoba province also released a statement on its official website where it said that the deceased are from the same family. The website also released a photo of the Patel family. "They are from the same family and are all Indian nationals. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner of Manitoba has confirmed that the cause of death was due to exposure." According to several reports, the family was trying to cross into the US on foot in -35c temperature.

"We can confirm that on January 12, the Patel family arrived in Toronto, Canada. From Toronto, the family made their way to Emerson (the border town) on, or about January 18, 2022. There was no abandoned vehicle located on the Canadian side of the border. This indicates that someone drove the family to the border and then left the scene," the Canadian police said in the statement.

It added, "With what we know so far of their activities in Canada, along with the arrest that occurred in the United States, we believe this to be a case of human smuggling. We know the Patel moved around Canada for a period of time and we are looking for anyone that may have had encounters with them."

In Dingucha, Jaswant Patel, cousin of Jagdish Patel, confirmed that the family was informed by the government officials late on Thursday night. The sleepy village with urban facilities has nearly 3,300 population as per 2011 census, out of which a majority of them are from the Patidar community. Nearly 50 per cent of Patidar households have migrated to the United States and Australia.

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(Published 28 January 2022, 02:51 IST)

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