The Enforcement Directorate on Tuesday said it is investigating the role of 262 Canadian colleges and more than 4,000 Indian entities in a money-laundering case in connection with the alleged illegal trafficking of Indians into the United States via Canada.

The investigation is based on the death of an Indian family near the Canadian border as they were attempting to enter the United States allegedly illegally in January 2022 after reportedly paying smugglers to guide them. The family froze to death during a blizzard.

The family members were 39-year-old Jagdish Patel, his wife Vaishaliben, who was said to have been in her mid-30s, and their two children, 11-year-old Vihangi and three-year-old Dharmik. They were originally from Dingucha village in Gujarat’s Gandhinagar district.

On Tuesday, the Enforcement Directorate said that it had taken cognisance of the first information report filed by the Ahmedabad Police against the main accused, Bhavesh Ashokbhai Patel, and others in the case and registered a complaint under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.

In a press release, the central law enforcement agency alleged that Patel, along with other accused in the case, had “hatched a well-planned conspiracy” to send Indian nationals to the United States through Canada “via illegal channels there by committing the offence of human trafficking”.

The accused “arranged” admissions for Indians who wanted to enter the United States in colleges and universities based in Canada, the Enforcement Directorate alleged, adding that student visas were secured for them.

“Once the individuals/students reach Canada, instead of joining the college, they illegally crossed the US-Canada Border and never joined college(s) in Canada,” the central agency alleged. “In view of it, the fee received by colleges based in Canada was remitted back to the individuals’ account.”

The accused persons “lured” Indians with the promise of entry into the United States by charging them between Rs 55 lakh and Rs 60 lakh per person, the agency alleged.

The Enforcement Directorate said that as part of its investigation, it undertook searches on December 10 and December 19 at eight locations in Mumbai, Nagpur, Gandhinagar and Vadodara.

It was found that two “entities”, one based in Mumbai and the other in Nagpur, had entered into an “agreement” for the admission of Indians in foreign universities on a commission basis, the central agency said.

About 25,000 students are being referred by one entity and more than 10,000 students by another to several colleges based outside India every year, the agency said.

“Further, it is gathered that there are around 1,700 agents/partners based in Gujarat and around 3,500 agents/partners of other entity all over India and out of which around 800 are active,” it added. “It is further revealed that around 112 colleges based in Canada have entered into agreement with one entity and more than 150 with another entity.”