By Canadian Press

Indian cops hunt suspects in illegal crossing deaths of family to U.S. from Akwesasne

May 13, 2023 | 9:56 AM

Police in India say they are looking for three men in connection with the deaths of a family from Gujarat trying to cross into the United States by boat through Akwesasne, Que., in March.

Indian police allege the men were involved in running immigration firms that are used by people to enter countries with fake documents.

Four Indian nationals whose bodies were among eight pulled from the St. Lawrence River had been travelling in Canada on a tourist visa from their home state of Gujarat. They included the father, Praveen Chaudhari, 50; mother, Daksha, 45; daughter, Vidhi, 23; and son, Meet, 20.

Achal Tyagi, superintendent of police for the city of Mehsana, in the western state of Gujarat, says authorities have put out a lookout circular for three men: Nikulsinh Vihol, Sachin Vihol and Arjunsinh Chavda. 

They face charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder, criminal breach of trust, cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property and criminal conspiracy.

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Tyagi says a police complaint is registered against the men and the case is still in the early stages of investigation. According to that complaint, translated by The Canadian Press, at least one of the men was living in Canada.

The four other people who died were a Romanian family from the Toronto area who were fleeing after receiving a deportation order. They were identified as Florin Iordache, his wife Cristina (Monalisa) Zenaida Iordache, as well as their Canadian-born children, two-year-old daughter Evelin and one-year-old son Elyen

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 13, 2023.

The Canadian Press