Immigration Agent Arrested After 9 US-Bound People From Gujarat Go Missing

An immigration agent was arrested by the police in Gujarat's Sabarkantha district on Thursday after nine persons, including two women, went untraceable during their journey from India to the United States via Caribbean countries, officials said.

The suspected immigration scam came to light after a woman approached the Prantij police in Sabarkantha district with a complaint that her husband, Bharat Rabari, went incommunicado in February, almost a month after he was sent to the US via the Netherlands and the Caribbean region by agent Divyesh aka Johny Patel, a resident of Mehsana, who has been arrested.

Later, it was revealed that eight more persons, sent to the US by Johny Patel, were also missing and efforts were on to trace all nine, police said.

Another agent named in the FIR (first information report), lodged on the basis of the woman's complaint), is Mahendra Baldevbhai Patel, a native of Dingucha village in Gandhinagar district.

Investigations have revealed Mahendra Patel, known as 'MD', is the elder brother of Jagdish Patel, who along with his wife and two children froze to death while trying to illegally enter the United States from Canada last year, said police inspector of Prantij, Pradipsinh Vaghela.

The four members of the Patel family from Dingucha had died due to exposure to extreme cold conditions in January 2022 when they were walking towards the US from Canada amid a blizzard.

On Wednesday, a woman, Chetna Rabari, of Vaghpur village under Prantij taluka, approached the police claiming her husband Bharat Rabari had gone untraceable soon after he embarked on a journey to the US in January.

"Johny Patel had promised Bharat Rabari, a farmer, that he could send him to the US on a work permit for a fee of Rs 70 lakh. The agent took Rs 20 lakh advance and asked Bharat Rabari to pay the remaining amount after reaching the US. In January, Rabari reached the Netherlands and then landed at Dominica in February via Port of Spain in the Caribbean region," said Sabarkantha SP Vishal Kumar Vaghela.

"However, Bharat Rabari went untraceable after February 4, following which his family contacted Johny, who then contacted Mahendra Patel, who according to Johnny, is working above him. Despite assurances by both of them, Bharat Rabari could not be contacted. After Johny's arrest, we have learned the accused had sent eight others with Rabari and all of them are untraceable," said Superintendent of Police Vaghela.

Following the registration of the FIR, police arrested Johny Patel on Thursday, while a search was for Mahendra Patel, who lives in the New Ranip area of Ahmedabad.

Police have initiated a parallel process to locate the nine missing persons, including two women, in coordination with central government agencies and departments concerned, said a release by the Sabarkantha police.

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