Deltona, Florida – A Florida resident, Harshkumar Patel, is facing multiple charges in connection with the tragic deaths of an Indian family who froze to death while crossing the Canada-U.S. border in January 2022. U.S. federal prosecutors have indicted two individuals linked to the incident that occurred over two years ago in Manitoba, along the U.S.-Canada border.
According to court documents, Steve Shand of Deltona, Fla., was recently named in a superseding indictment filed in U.S. District Court, District of Minnesota alongside Harshkumar Ramanlal Patel, an Indian citizen residing in Florida. The charges stem from an incident where U.S. border patrol agents arrested Shand and two migrants in a rented 15-seater passenger van on a snowy highway in Minnesota, near Emerson, Manitoba – just south of the border – in January 2022.
Tragically, the bodies of 39-year-old Jagdish Patel, his 37-year-old wife Vaishali, their 11-year-old daughter Vihangi, and three-year-old son Dharmik were found frozen in Canada just 12 meters from the U.S. border. They had succumbed to the extreme cold weather conditions, with temperatures plummeting to -35 degrees Celsius during a blizzard. Harshkumar Patel, unrelated to the deceased family, faces seven counts related to conspiracy and aiding in the transportation of migrants, among others.
The indictment also includes charges against Steve Shand, who had previously been indicted on two counts of human smuggling in relation to the migrants found in the van. Patel was apprehended last month at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport following allegations that he recruited and compensated Shand to transport migrants upon their arrival in the U.S. Patel is currently being held at a Sherburne County jail in Minnesota, awaiting arraignment with no scheduled date yet.
Investigators have uncovered a complex network managed by Patel and Shand, with communications detailing their operations in both the U.S. and Canada. Court documents reveal that Patel coordinated the smuggling activities with Shand in the U.S., while connecting him with counterparts in Canada. Allegedly, Patel operated a gambling establishment in Florida and maintained frequent communication with Shand through Whatsapp to plan logistics and payments.
U.S. authorities claim that Patel provided Shand with coordinates for rendezvous points near the border and contact information for associates in Canada. The ongoing investigation led to the first known photograph of Patel, who goes by multiple aliases including “Dirty Harry.” The authorities assert that the operation was lucrative, with Shand disclosing earnings of approximately $25,000 from his collaboration with Patel.
The arrests of Patel and Shand mark significant progress in the case linked to the tragic deaths of the Patel family. While three individuals have been arrested in India in connection to the smuggling network, no charges have been laid in Canada. The pursuit of justice in this harrowing case continues, with Shand awaiting trial, initially set to commence in Fergus Falls, Minnesota. The trial’s postponement has left the proceedings in limbo, underscoring the complexity and seriousness of the charges at hand.