Police arrest two agents over death of 4 of family in illegal migration to US
Darpan News Desk IANS, 16 Jan, 2023 12:11 PM
Ahmedabad, Jan 16 (IANS) The Ahmedabad crime branch has arrested two travel agents, who were allegedly responsible for the death of four members of a family in illegal migration to the US. These four people including two minors had frozen to death while illegally crossing from Canada to America in January 2022.
Crime Branch Deputy Commissioner of Police Chaitanya Mandlik told the media on Monday, "On Saturday evening, the crime branch team arrested Bhavesh Patel from Palsana village in Gandhinagar district and Yogesh Patel from Ahmedabad city's Vastrapur area."
They were allegedly involved in illegally sending Jagdish Patel, Vaishali Patel and their children Vihangi and Dharmik to the US. They froze while crossing the Canada-US border near Emerson, on the Canadian side.
The officer said, "Bhavesh and Yogesh sent 11 persons from Kalol and Mehsana to Canada, from where they were asked to cross over to the US illegally. From Canada, two others Fenil Patel and Bittu Paji helped these two agents in an illegal migration racket."
Allegedly, the agents had given these 11 persons instructions that "You have to walk in -35 degree temperature to avoid arrest by Canadian or US security agencies." They were supposed to follow American gas station lights for directions.
The Chief Minister said the government is fully sensitive towards checking cross-border infiltration in Punjab. He said Punjab Police is constantly in touch with the Border Security Force (BSF) and other agencies for this purpose.
While briefing the officers, the DGP said the topmost priority of the government, as directed by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, is to further strengthen the fight against drugs to make Punjab a drug-free state, besides eliminating the gangster culture, maintaining law and order, and detection of crime.
Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur announced Rs 5 lakh to the next of the kin of the deceased, whereas Rs 15,000 as immediate relief for the injured. He said free treatment would be provided to the injured.
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Monday carried out his first Cabinet expansion by inducting five legislators, including second-time MLA Aman Arora, into his council of ministers. The expansion came in less than four months of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) sweeping to victory in the Assembly elections by winning 92 seats of the 117 seats.
The police have so far managed to nab four of the accused, including one woman, who have been identified as Gurjant Singh (31), Navjot Singh (30), Satpal Singh (28) and Gurpreet Kaur (30).
The ambidextrous sharpshooter, identified as Ankit alias Chhota, a resident of Sonipat in Haryana, was most desperate to commit the crime."He fired simultaneously from two pistols in his two hands," H.G.S. Dhaliwal, Special Commissioner (Special Cell), said during a media briefing.
