Image: IANS

Gujaratis and their unending desire to settle abroad are not a new story to be told. With the rise in the craze for the overseas world among Gujaratis, masterminds of illegal immigration and human trafficking gain the palm.

Unlocking one such racket, Gujarat’s state monitoring cell (SMC) nabbed Keyur Patel alias Ketan Patel alias Manish Patel from Mehsana's Visnagar on Dec 13. Patel was allegedly working with a human trafficking kingpin Bobby Patel alias Bharat Patel, illegally sending Gujaratis to the US.

According to KT Kamariya of SMC, Keyur Patel was absconding for a long time and was living underground in Mumbai. 

The police had announced a ₹25,000 reward for the intel on Keyur Patel, and SMC had received intel about Patel attending his niece's wedding in Mehsana, from where he was nabbed.

In Dec 2022, an FIR was lodged at the Sola police station against Bharat Patel and Keyur Patel forging visas, passports, and other documents.

The authorities got into action after four family members from Gandhinagar’s Dingucha village froze to death while crossing the Canada-US border in Jan 2022.

The hazardous trend of crossing the US border

Apart from that, a man from Kalol also died while crossing the Mexico-US border in Dec 2022. In Apr 2023, another four family members from Mehsana died while crossing the Canada-US border.

Moreover, Gujarat high court hearings are underway on the issue of nine people from Gujarat who mysteriously vanished seven months ago while attempting to enter the US illegally.

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