2 men charged in India in deaths of family found frozen in Manitoba near U.S. border

Police in India say two men are facing charges in the deaths of a family who froze a year ago while trying to cross from Manitoba into the United States.

Jagdish Patel, 39, his 37-year-old wife, Vaishali Patel, and their childrenDharmik Patel, 3, and Vihangi Patel, 11were found frozen to death near the international border in southern Manitoba on Jan. 19, 2022.

Deputy Commissioner Chaitanya Mandlik of the Ahmedabad crime branch in the state of Gujarat in India says two men were arrested Sunday and other suspects are also wanted in Canada and the U.S.

He says the two men are accused of acting as immigration agents, supplying the family with paperwork and assisting them in getting to the U.S.

They are charged with culpable homicide not amounting to murder, attempting culpable homicide, human trafficking and criminal conspiracy.

Mandlik says the family travelled from India to Toronto, then to Vancouver and Manitoba, where they tried to make their way on foot into the U.S. with seven other migrants.

He says law enforcement officials in India are co-ordinating with the Canadian Embassy for next steps.