AHMEDABAD: A district court in Minnesota has indicted two people for the deaths of four of a family from Dingucha in Gujarat's Gandhinagar who froze to death in Jan 2022, while trying to enter the United States illegally from Canada.
The two are Harshkumar Patel alias "Dirty Harry", the Gujarati-origin prime suspect, and Steven Shand.
The deaths of Jagdish Patel, 39, wife Vaishali, 37, daughter Vihangi, 11, and son Dharmik, 3 had shaken the Gujarati community in Canada and the United States while bringing under a harsh glare the deadly dreams of such illegal immigrants.
Harshkumar was arrested last month from Chicago. He was allegedly in contact with Shand, a van driver held by the United States authorities on the fateful night of Jan 19, 2022.
Shand has been accused of smuggling seven persons from Gujarat illegally, including the four who perished. While Harshkumar remains in judicial custody, Shand is out on bail.
According to Minnesota court documents, the charges against the two include "conspiracy to bring aliens to the United States, causing serious bodily injury and placing lives in jeopardy.... for the purpose of commercial advantage and private financial gain".
Jayesh Chaudhary, a local official in Dingucha, said on Saturday the news of the indictments had not yet reached the village. "The family often travels and lives elsewhere, including Ahmedabad," he said, referring to victim Jagdish's relatives.
Canadian public broadcaster CBC had earlier reported that Harshkumar was the person who had instructed Shand to bring the group of Indians to cross the US border illegally.
Investigators have found WhatsApp exchanges between Harshkumar and Shand along with financial transactions.
English (US) ·