The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is probing an international human trafficking network concealed in sending Indians as students to get admissions in Canadian academic institutions but they would end up in United States of America (USA) illegally.

Every year, around 35,000 Indians are suspected to illegally migrate to the US through this racket unravelled following investigations, first by the Gujarat police and later the ED, into the death of four members of a family on US-Canada border in 2022.

Around 262 colleges in Canada have entered into agreement with two entities here for taking onboard Indian students, which has come under the glare of ED to find out if they too are involved in the human trafficking.

The ED said its investigation revealed that for sending the Indian nationals to USA illegally, Bhavesh Ashokbhai Patel, the alleged kingpin and his other associates of the Gujarat-based racket, would arrange admission of the individuals in colleges and universities of Canada. They would charge a fee for that.

On that basis, they would apply for students’ visa for Canada.

After reaching Canada, instead of joining the college, they would illegally cross the US-Canada border. In view of it, the fee received by colleges based in Canada was remitted back to the individuals’ account, ED said.

The agency gathered that two entities based in Mumbai and Nagpur have entered into agreement for admission of students in universities based in foreign countries on commission basis with an entity, which was contacted by a desirous student for immigrating to USA illegally.

Money laundering

To probe money laundering behind the human trafficking case, the ED’s Ahmedabad Zonal Office carried out searches on December 10 and December 19 in Mumbai, Nagpur, Gandhinagar and Vadodara as part of the ongoing probe in the Dingucha case against Bhavesh Ashokbhai Patel and others for hatching a well-planned conspiracy, to illegally send persons to USA through Canada.

During the course of search operations, bank accounts to the tune of approx. Rs 19 lakh were frozen along and various other incriminating documents and digital devices have been seized, the agency stated. Two vehicles were also seized.

It is gathered that two entities based in Mumbai and Nagpur, revealed the ED, have entered into agreement for admission of students in universities based in foreign countries on commission basis with an entity, contacted by a desirous student for immigrating to USA illegally.

The ED said around 25,000 students are being referred by one entity and more than 10,000 students by another to various colleges outside India every year.

There are around 1,700 agents/partners in Gujarat of the human trafficking network, the agency pointed out. Another around 3,500 agents/partners are spread across all over India. Of them, around 800 are active, the agency stated.