VOIWORLD/DESK
It has been called one of the most horrible cases of human smuggling leading to loss of 4 innocent lives, including 2 kids. And now some justice is being served, finally. “The crime in many respects is extraordinarily serious,” U.S. District Judge John Tunheim said in his decision in Fergus Falls. In the case of Dingucha family deaths, the 2 accused face jail for human smuggling while 20-yr term has been sought for ringleader Harsh Patel who went by the alias “Dirty Harry”
The two men face sentencing in Minnesota on Wednesday on human smuggling charges for their roles what prosecutors call an international conspiracy.
Federal prosecutors have recommended nearly 20 years in prison for the alleged ringleader, Harshkumar Patel, and nearly 11 years for the driver who was to pick the family up, Steve Shand.
A jury reportedly found the two men guilty last fall on four charges related to the smuggling operation.
DINGUCHA FAMILY DEATH CASE. WHAT HAD HAPPENED?
A family of four from India froze to death including two children victims from Dingucha village in Gujarat, Jagdish Patel, 39; his wife, Vaishaliben, in her mid-30s; their 11-year-old daughter Vihangi; and 3-year-old son Dharmik
Family was trying to cross into the US along a remote stretch of the Canadian border in a blizzard,
The horrible death event was described as the father dying while trying to shield Dharmik’s face from a “blistering wind” with a frozen glove, Vihangi was wearing “ill-fitting boots and gloves.” Their mother “died slumped against a chain-link fence.
Reports say the nearby weather station recorded the wind chill that morning at -36 Fahrenheit (-38 Celsius).
The bad luck struck not just this ill-fated family but others too. The seven other members of their group survived the foot crossing, but only two made it to Shand’s van, which was stuck in the snow on the Minnesota side. One woman who survived had to be flown to a hospital with severe frostbite and hypothermia. Another survivor testified he had never seen snow before arriving in Canada. Their inadequate winter clothes were only what the smugglers provided; the survivor reportedly told the jury.
