Ottawa: Every parent dreams of giving their children a better life, good earnings, and a bright future abroad. But sometimes, these dreams turn into nightmares. This is what happened with an Indian family in January 2022, whose dream of settling in America ended in a snowstorm near the Canada-US border, leaving behind frozen bodies.
The family had crossed into the US from Canada illegally as part of a human smuggling attempt. The group was trapped in a deadly snowstorm, and four members of the same family, a couple and their two young children, died in freezing conditions. A three-year-old boy, an eleven-year-old girl, and their parents were found dead on the Canadian side of the border. The child was wrapped in a blanket, and a frozen glove from his father was found placed over his face.
A US court in Minnesota sentenced two men responsible for this horrifying case. 29-year-old Harshkumar Ramanlal Patel was given 10 years and 1 month in prison, while 50-year-old Steve Anthony Shand received 6 years and 6 months.
According to the investigation, both Patel and Shand were part of an international human trafficking racket. Patel was the main planner who brought people from India to Canada using fake student visas. After that, they would be smuggled into the US. Victims were charged around $1,00,000 each. Once they crossed the border, Shand would pick them up and take them to Chicago.
On January 18, 2022, the weather department had already issued warnings of extreme cold with temperatures as low as -36°C and icy winds blowing at 50 mph. Still, the smugglers went ahead with their plan.
The next day, US Border Patrol agents found Shand’s van stuck in the snow. Two illegal immigrants were hiding inside. Soon after, five more people came out of nearby fields – one was severely ill due to cold and had to be hospitalized. But the most heartbreaking discovery came from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, who found the four frozen bodies of the Indian family across the border.
In court, it was revealed that both Patel and Shand knew about the dangerous weather, but still took the risk, putting many lives in danger. Even after the tragedy, they lied to authorities, claiming no one was stuck in the snow.
The US Justice Department called this case a “conspiracy against humanity”, and said that they would never forget the innocent children who died because of the smugglers’ greed.
