Gandhinagar: On Jan. 19, 2022, when frozen bodies of four members of a family from Dingucha village in Gujarat's Gandhinagar who were attempting to illegally cross from Canada into the US, were recovered near the Canada-US border, it caused a stir at the village back home in India. The shocked villagers wondered how had the family members, who had gone to Canada on a tourist visa, ended up being infiltrators.
In a similar incident on Sunday, Apr. 2, a family of four from Manekpura area of Vijaypur Taluka in Gujarat's Mehsana were found dead along with four others after their boat, in which they were trying to illegally enter into the US capsized in marshland on the riverbank near Akwesasne. These are not merely isolated incidents.
Earlier, in April last year, at least six Indians were rescued from drowning in the St. Regnis River that flows through Akwesasne Mohawk Territory while they were trying to infiltrate into the US. The recent incidents, which point to a pattern, have uncovered an entire mafia involved in the illegal emigration of Gujaratis into the US via the bordering countries.
An exclusive ground report by ETV Bharat has revealed the modus operandi of the agents and their sub-agents in Gujarat who have been facilitating the illegal emigration into the US for quite some time now. The illicit trade stems from the craze for traveling to America among the rural population of North Gujarat and Charotar.
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Here, agents send such people to Canada, Turkey or Mexico before they infiltrate into the US through the Mexico border, the St. Lawrence River and the Trump Wall. ETV Bharat has learnt that agents based in Kalol and Ahmedabad privately appoint their sub-agents in rural areas who are given Rs 20,000 to 50,000 for each client as commission.
The sub-agents are to accompany the clients abroad where they get in contact with the local agents for facilitating further infiltration of the clients into the US. In Dingucha village from where the four members of a family were found dead near the Canada-US border in Jan' last year, the population as per official data is 5000.
However, at present a population of only 3200 resides in the village. Sources said that the deficit in the population is because of a large number of sub-agents along with the clients moving to the countries bordering the US. Mathurji Sendhaji Thakor, former sarpanch of Dinguncha village, said that about 40 per cent of the village accounting for 600 households are closed adding all of them live abroad now.
After the death of the Patel family of Dingucha in in Jan. last year, the Panchayat held several public meetings in the village urging the locals against the practice. Sources said that the clients are officially sent from India to Mexico, Turkey or any European country on a visitor visa. After staying there for a month, they are allowed to enter the US illegally by the agents, added the sources.
As for the reason for illegal travel to the US, sources in the Gujarat Police said that many Gujaratis have the US citizenship and have set up formidable businesses in the country for which they need manforce. The Gujaratis infiltrating into the US are considered to be a cheap human resource readily available for hiring.
