ED Probes Canadian Colleges, Indian Entities in Money Laundering Case
New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate is investigating the alleged involvement of some Canadian colleges and a few Indian entities in a money laundering case linked to the trafficking of Indians into the US from the Canada border.
The investigation is linked to the death of a four-member Indian family, hailing from Dingucha village of Gujarat, who were killed due to extreme cold weather while trying to illegally cross the Canada-US border on January 19, 2022, officials said here on Tuesday.
The probe by the central financial probe agency has revealed that roughly 35,000 people obtained student visas in the name of foreign institutes, including over 260 Canadian colleges and universities, as part of an illegal immigration racket.
Additionally, the ED has identified two firms — one based in Mumbai and the other in Nagpur — that worked extensively with around 800 active agents from across the country. These firms facilitated the entry of individuals seeking to immigrate to the US, by connecting them with Canadian colleges that provided documents necessary for obtaining student visas.
The ED took cognisance of an Ahmedabad police FIR against main accused Bhavesh Ashokbhai Patel and some others to file its complaint under the criminal sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
Mr Patel and others are alleged to have "hatched a well-planned conspiracy to send people (Indians) to the USA through Canada via illegal channels, there by committing the offence of human trafficking".
The accused arranged for Canadian student visas for these individuals, but instead of attending classes, the individuals illegally crossed the US-Canada border without joining the colleges, the agency said. The ED alleged that the fees paid to the Canadian colleges were subsequently refunded to the individuals’ accounts.
According to the ED, innocent Indians were "lured" for this illegal entry into the US racket and charged between `55 and `60 lakh per person.
The agency said it undertook fresh searches in this case on December 10 and December 19 at eight locations in Mumbai, Nagpur, Gandhinagar and Vadodara.
During these searches, the agency uncovered that two Mumbai and Nagpur entities entered into an "agreement" for admission of Indians in universities based in foreign countries on commission basis.
The agency said the latest searches found that about 25,000 students are being referred by one entity and more than 10,000 students by the other to various colleges based outside India every year.
"Further, it is gathered that there are around 1,700 agents/ partners based in Gujarat and around 3,500 agents/partners of other entities all over India and out of which around 800 are active. It is further revealed that around 112 colleges based in Canada have entered into agreement with one entity and more than 150 with another entity.
Their involvement in the instant case is under investigation," the ED said.
The agency suspects that out of the total 262 colleges in Canada, several located near the Canada-US border are likely involved in this trafficking network. The investigation into their role is ongoing.
