Gujarat's Dingucha village in shock after four of local family found frozen to death near US-Canada border

Canadian authorities have confirmed the identities of four members of a family who were found frozen to death near the Canada-US border earlier this month.

All four - Jagdish Baldevbhai Patel (39), his wife Vaishaliben (37), children Vihangi (11) and Dharmik (3) - have been identified as residents of Dingucha village in Gujarat's Gandhinagar district. Their deaths shocked villagers who were waiting for them to return home.

The Manitoba Royal Canadian Mounted Police revealed on Friday that the family of four arrived in Toronto on January 12, 2022. This was their first point of entry into Canada. They later travelled to Manitoba and then to Emerson around January 18, a day before their bodies were discovered not far from the Canada-US border.

READ: Indian arrested near US-Canada border requires partial amputation of hand

Authorities suspect that someone drove the family to the border and fled the scene. Their deaths are being attributed to extreme weather conditions since the temperature in that region can drop below -35 degrees.

Exposure to extreme cold has been identified as the cause of death.

"With what we know so far of their activities in Canada, along with the arrest that occurred in the United States, we believe this to be a case of human smuggling," Chief Superintendent Rob Hill, officer in charge of Criminal Operations for the Manitoba Royal Canadian Mounted Police, said in a statement.

Gujarat police launch probe

Jagdish Baldevbhai Patel lived in Dingucha in Gandhinagar's Kalol where he sold electrical appliances for a living. Interestingy, the family home was left in a manner so as to suggest that Jagdish Baldevbhai Patel and his family had gone for a vacation.

The news of their demise reached Dingucha village on Friday. Relatives say they were aware that the family left for Canada on January 12 but no one had spoken to them since.

A former sarpanch of the Dingucha village told India Today the same. "We only knew that they had left for Canada. What happened later we do not know anything about that," he said.

Meanwhile, the Gujarat police have launched a search to identify the travel agent who facilitated visas for the family of four. During the course of this investigation, the police will also verify whether the visas issued to them were authentic or forged.

Sources told India Today that they suspect that the family paid over Rs 1 crore to a facilitator for safe passage to a particular city in the US.

Locals from Patel's native village say many families in Dingucha have one or two members who are settled abroad.