New York– A U.S. federal court has sentenced Harshkumar Ramanlal Patel, a 29-year-old Indian-origin man, to ten years and one month in prison for masterminding a human-smuggling operation that led to the tragic deaths of a family of four from India attempting to cross into the United States from Canada.
U.S. District Judge John Tunheim in Minnesota handed down the sentence on Wednesday, also sentencing Patel’s accomplice, 50-year-old Steve Anthony Shand, to six years and six months in prison. Both men were convicted in November by a jury under the U.S. legal system.
The victims, Jagdish Baldevbhai Patel, 39, his wife Vaishaliben Jagdishkumar Patel, 37, and their children, Vihangi, 11, and Dharmik, 3, were from Dingucha, a village in Gujarat, India. They froze to death on January 19, 2022, while attempting to cross into Minnesota near the Canadian province of Manitoba amid extreme winter conditions, where temperatures had plunged to minus 35 degrees Celsius (-31°F).
“These smugglers exploited vulnerable people and did nothing to help them, even as they faced certain death,” Judge Tunheim said during sentencing.
Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa Kirkpatrick condemned the defendants for their role in the deaths, stating: “Every time I think about this case, I think about that family — including two beautiful little children — who the defendants left to freeze to death in a blizzard.”
The tragedy occurred when the Patels and seven others were dropped off on the Canadian side of the border during a snowstorm and told to walk in a straight line toward a waiting van on the U.S. side. Survivor Yash Patel testified during the trial that they had no proper guidance or protection during the dangerous trek through deep snow and whiteout conditions.
Two individuals reached the van, which was being driven by Shand, but U.S. authorities soon intercepted the vehicle and found five more people stranded nearby — one of whom required emergency airlift to a hospital due to severe exposure. Canadian authorities later discovered the bodies of the Patel family on their side of the border.
The smuggling operation, orchestrated by Harshkumar Patel, involved primarily Indian nationals from Gujarat obtaining Canadian visas, then attempting illegal entry into the U.S. through the northern border — which is generally less fortified than the southern U.S.-Mexico boundary.
The incident drew significant attention to human-smuggling operations through the U.S.-Canada border and prompted political responses. (Source: IANS)
