Will US illegal immigration kingpin spill beans on Dingucha deaths?

TNN / Updated: Feb 19, 2023, 06:17 IST

Text Size

Small
Medium
Large

Rajinder Pal Singh, an accused in human trafficking and money laundering cases, has pled guilty in Washington state in the US. The Canadian authorities and those involved in the case of 'Dingucha deaths' - where four family members, including two children, froze to death near the Canadian border while crossing into the US illegally - last January are keenly watching the development.

Will US illegal immigration kingpin spill beans on Dingucha deaths?

Representative Image

AHMEDABAD: Rajinder Pal Singh, an accused in human trafficking and money laundering cases, has pled guilty in Washington state in the US. The Canadian authorities and those involved in the case of 'Dingucha deaths' - where four family members, including two children, froze to death near the Canadian border while crossing into the US illegally - last January are keenly watching the development.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) investigating the deaths had scrutinized Singh's records due to the possibility of his involvement in the Dingucha case.
Sources close to the development said while Singh's name has not come up directly, several indicators point to a similar modus operandi for human smuggling. The family of four from Dingucha were to cross the Canada-US border from Emerson in Winnipeg province of Canada. But after roaming in -35°C temperature for hours, the family could not survive.
The incident sent shockwaves across the Gujarati and Indian communities in Canada, the US, and back home.

The Canadian media had already pointed a finger in Singh's direction - a documentary by CBC indicated that Singh was planning to change his route of trafficking due to the alertness of the US authorities.
According to the documentary, a call reportedly made by Singh - close to the date of the family's arrival in Canada in January - discussed the route through Manitoba and Winnipeg.
Singh, in the plea agreement, mentioned the use of an app to direct the illegal immigrants to 'rendezvous zones' near the Canadian-US borders, ferrying them to a nearby airport and then to a 'safe house' through an intricate network of one-way taxis.
The network primarily smuggled Indian nationals, mentioned the agreement. A similar modus operandi emerged in the case of Dingucha deaths.
Further probe of Singh's network can provide insight into what transpired in the Dingucha case and similar cases from Gujarat, say state-based investigators who are also keeping an eye on the development.

End of Article