In what is being called a major breakthrough, Gujarat police arrested a prominent illegal immigration agent from Mehsana.
Identified Ketan alias Keyur alias KP alias Manish Patel, the accused lives in Mumbai and was on a visit to his maternal niece in a village in Gujarat’s Mesana district when the police zeroed in on him.
Patel is alleged to be specialising in smuggling Gujarati youths to the US.
Following the earlier apprehensions of Bharat alias Bobby and Mahendra Patel alias Mahendra Dingucha, this arrest marks a key step in dismantling the illegal human smuggling network.
The police have recovered cash, an Aadhar card, and five bank deposits from ICICI Bank during the arrest. Patel, known for his extensive network spanning South Africa, Senegal, El-Salvador, and Mexico, is accused of forging passports and visa stamps and altering identities of illegal immigrants.
SP Nirlipt Rai of the State Monitoring Cell (SMC) said, “Patel had been evading capture for about a year. We received information that he was visiting his maternal niece in Visnagar, Mehsana District. A stakeout was set up, leading to his successful arrest. A reward of Rs 25,000 had been declared on him. Patel’s connections include the currently jailed Bobby Patel,” Rai explained.
Rai added that Patel was supported by a domestic network of agents in Delhi and Mumbai, who helped him evade the law.
Sources in the SMC revealed that Patel had previously been booked by Mumbai police for possessing three passports. His activities intensified following the arrest of Bobby Patel and the flight of Mahendra Patel.
A senior Gujarat police official described the process Patel used for smuggling people.
“Initially, individuals from Gujarat were brought to Mumbai, then sent to Delhi. From there, they were moved to South Africa, Senegal, various European countries, El Salvador, and finally Mexico. In Mexico, local agents, referred to as ‘Mekla’ in Gujarati, facilitated their entry into the US,” the official said.
According to the police, Patel charged Rs 55 lakh per person for this illegal migration service. “In the past year alone, Patel is believed to have smuggled around 30 Gujaratis into the US through this route. The number could be much higher over the years,” a top police official added.
The court has granted police custody of Patel until December 18. The police are optimistic that information obtained from Patel will lead to further arrests and a deeper understanding of this vast illegal network.
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