The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has launched an inquiry into the alleged involvement of two Maharashtra-based institutions and several Canadian colleges in an illegal human smuggling operation across the United States-Canada border. The investigation gained momentum following the tragic deaths of four Indian citizens in January 2022.

The deceased, who hailed from Dingucha village in Gujarat’s Gandhinagar district, were discovered frozen in -35 degrees Celsius on the Canadian side of the border. Preliminary inquiries revealed that the victims had paid human smugglers an exorbitant fee of approximately ₹55 lakh each to facilitate their illegal entry into the United States.

Sources indicate the ED is probing the connections between these institutions and the smuggling network, aiming to uncover the extent of their involvement in facilitating such operations.

The Enforcement Directorate’s investigation into money laundering and related financial crimes stems from a complaint filed by Gujarat police in Ahmedabad. The complaint names Bhavesh Ashokbhai Patel as the principal accused in the Dingucha-Canada deaths case, along with several others, alleging they orchestrated a “well-planned conspiracy” to illegally transport Indian citizens to the United States via Canada.

According to the ED, the smuggling network’s modus operandi involved securing admissions for their clients in specific Canadian colleges, with which arrangements had been made. This strategy enabled the individuals to obtain student visas as a pretext for entry into Canada, which served as a transit point for their illegal migration to the United States.

Once in Canada, the clients were smuggled across the border into the United States, after which the funds paid to the Canadian colleges for admissions were refunded, sources revealed. The Enforcement Directorate has identified two Maharashtra-based institutions—one in Mumbai and the other in Nagpur—suspected of having commission-based arrangements with Canadian colleges for facilitating these operations.

The fee charged for this illegal service ranged between ₹55 lakh and ₹60 lakh per person, according to sources.

As part of its investigation, the ED conducted raids last week at eight locations in Mumbai, Nagpur, Gandhinagar and Vadodara. During these raids, documents were seized indicating that one of the institutions referred approximately 25,000 Indian “students” to Canadian colleges annually, while the other referred over 10,000. These institutions reportedly employed thousands of agents based in Gujarat and other states across India to recruit clients.

In addition, the agency has frozen ₹19 lakh held across multiple bank accounts linked to the suspects.