U.S. federal prosecutors have indicted two individuals in connection with the tragic deaths of an Indian migrant family over two years ago in Manitoba, near the U.S.-Canada border.
Steve Shand from Deltona, Florida, was identified in a superseding indictment filed in U.S. District Court, District of Minnesota against Harshkumar Ramanlal Patel, an Indian citizen residing in Florida, as per court documents.
The U.S. border patrol agents apprehended Shand and two migrants in a rented 15-seater passenger van on a snowy highway in Minnesota, close to the border near Emerson, Manitoba, on January 19, 2022. Shortly after, five other migrants were also apprehended walking down the same highway.
Later that day, the frozen bodies of Jagdish Patel (39 years old), Vaishali Patel (37 years old), their daughter Vihangi (11 years old), and son Dharmik (3 years old) were discovered in Canada, just 12 meters from the U.S. border. They had tragically succumbed to exposure after being abandoned at the border during a severe snowstorm and -35°C temperatures.
Harshkumar Patel, who has no relation to the deceased family, is facing multiple charges, including conspiracy to transport aliens causing serious bodily injury and endangering lives, aiding and abetting the transport of aliens, transportation of aliens causing serious bodily injury and endangering lives, and transportation of aliens for commercial advantage and private financial gain.
Shand was also indicted on four of the aforementioned charges.
He was previously indicted in February 2022 on two counts of human smuggling charges related to the migrants found in the van.
Patel was arrested at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport last month. An affidavit by a U.S. Homeland Security investigator supporting the arrest claims Patel recruited and paid Shand to meet and transport migrants once they crossed into the U.S.
Following his arrest in Chicago, Patel was transferred to Minnesota, where he is currently being held in a Sherburne County jail. A date for Patel’s arraignment is yet to be scheduled.
The Fifth Estate has obtained the first known photograph, a mugshot, of Patel, who is also known by investigators as “Dirty Harry” and four other aliases.
Patel is accused of orchestrating the smuggling operation with Shand on the U.S. side, while connecting him with individuals in Canada.
Court documents suggest Patel managed a gambling establishment in Florida. It is also alleged that Patel and Shand communicated through WhatsApp regarding rental cars, hotels, and payments for Shand. U.S. investigators obtained call logs showing the two communicated 210 times between September 2021 and January 21, 2022.
U.S. authorities claim Patel provided Shand with GPS coordinates for a pick-up location near the border and two phone numbers of contacts in Canada.
‘We not losing any money’
“Make sure everyone is dressed for the blizzard,” Shand texted Patel on the evening of January 18 — the day before the family was found dead, according to court records.
Patel responded less than a minute later: “Done.”
“We not losing any money,” Shand immediately replied.
Investigators allege that the January 19 pickup was the fifth trip Shand had made to the border in that area, with the first occurring around December 12, 2021.
During the initial four trips, Shand supposedly transported Indian migrants to the Chicago area, dropping them off at a supermarket, a private residence, and a motel.
In 2022, smugglers left the Patel family to cross the Canada/U.S. border on foot during a snowstorm, an ordeal they would not survive. The Fifth Estate’s pursuit of the men Indian police allege planned the crossing leads to a surprising location.
Shand informed investigators that he had earned a total of approximately $25,000 US working for Patel, according to the indictment.
Regarding the January 18-19 incident, court documents suggest he received $2,900 US in cash upfront from Patel and an additional $5,000 US in cash after his release from jail.
While Shand is currently out on bail, Patel remains in custody.
There was no response from the lawyers representing Patel and Shand when contacted for comment before publication.
The district attorney’s office in Minnesota declined to comment on the superseding indictment when reached out to by The Fifth Estate.
These two individuals are the only arrests made in North America directly linked to the deaths of the Patel family. Three arrests have been made in India, but as of now, no charges have been filed against anyone in Canada.
The Fifth Estate identified one individual, Fenil Patel (unrelated to the victims), who Indian police claim was part of the smuggling network and currently resides just outside Toronto. However, Canadian authorities have not publicly addressed the allegations against him.
Fenil Patel did not respond to several interview attempts earlier this year. When approached by a Fifth Estate crew at his residence, he entered his home without responding.
Shand is awaiting a trial that has been repeatedly delayed. Initially set to commence in Fergus Falls, Minnesota on Monday, the trial was postponed again and has not yet been rescheduled.
