Indian family found frozen to death near Canada-United States border identified

Highlights Family of 4 Indian nationals from Gujarat, found frozen to death near Canada-US border identified Canadian authorities saying they had moved around the country for a period of time Identities of victims were confirmed by Canadian authorities and autopsies were completed on Jan 26 The family of four Indian nationals from Gujarat, found frozen to death near the Canada/US border, has been identified, with Canadian authorities saying they had moved around the country for a period of time and met with their tragic end when they were driven to the border by someone, in a case being described as that of human smuggling. Jagdish Baldevbhai Patel, 39, Vaishaliben Jagdishkumar Patel, 37, Vihangi Jagdishkumar Patel, 11 and Dharmik Jagdishkumar Patel, 3, all from the same family, were found dead near Emerson, Manitoba, approximately 12 metres from the Canada/US border on January 19 by Manitoba Royal Canadian Mounted Police. RCMP said the Patel family moved around Canada for a period of time and “we are looking for anyone that may have had encounters with them.” A criminal complaint was filed last week in the US District Court for the District of Minnesota against 47-year old US citizen Steve Shand, who has been charged with human smuggling. Shand, a “suspected smuggler of undocumented foreign nationals” was arrested by American authorities near the US/Canadian border on January 19 for transporting two Indian nationals, who were illegally present in the US.