AHMEDABAD: A Mehsana-based man, whose attempts to sneak into the US in 2020 on a bogus passport failed, decided to become a human smuggler and mint money out of selling the American dream.

Divyesh Patel, accused of facilitating the illegal immigration of nine persons who went missing on February 4, had been caught by Indian immigration officials at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi before he could board a flight to China with his wife.

On January 9, 2020, a couple with passports bearing the names Sandip Patel and Rita Patel were brought to IGI police by an employee of China Southern airlines after the duo tried to board a flight to Guangzhou in China without getting their passports stamped.

"The passengers were trying to board China Southern flight number CZ-360 to Guangzhou with the intention of travelling to Toronto, Canada, on flight number CZ-311.

They had somebody else's passports with missing departure immigration stamps.

Their boarding passes did not have the stamps of immigration and CISF security either," stated an FIR filed with IGI airport police on January 10, 2020.

Upon questioning, the duo revealed their original identities -- Divyesh Patel and Nidhi Patel.

They were trying to travel on the passports of Sandip and Rita Patel who had allegedly lent them to a human smuggler named Bharat Patel.

Bharat had charged Rs 50 lakh each from Divyesh and his wife Nidhi for the passports of Sandip and Rita.

The couple were handed over the passports at the entrance of Delhi airport after which they entered the domestic terminal to board a Mumbai-bound flight.

But midway, they changed their route and headed to the international terminal where they stood in the immigration clearance queue to board a flight to Toronto in Canada.

Just then, they received a message from Bharat who asked them to rush towards the queue for the Guangzhou-bound flight since the security check there, he claimed, was a bit lenient.

They followed Bharat's instructions but caught the attention of an employee of China Southern airlines who got suspicious looking at their body language.

He took them to the security personnel at IGI airport.Divyesh and his wife were arrested on charges of cheating by impersonation, forgery for the purpose of cheating, using forged documents as genuine and criminal conspiracy.

Having failed as an illegal immigrant, Divyesh, who was already in touch with human smugglers, joined them in the illegal activity.

According to police sources, Divyesh is the partner of Mahendra Patel, the brother of Jagdish Patel from Dingucha who along with his wife and two kids froze to death while attempting to cross the Canada-US border in January 2022.Divyesh and Mahendra, along with their aides Shailesh Patel and Chatur Patel, allegedly sent nine persons including two women to Dominica, a Caribbean country, to facilitate their illegal entry into the US.

The last known location of those nine persons was Guadeloupe on February 4, said sources.

Chetna Rabari, the wife of Bharat Rabari who is one of the nine missing persons, had filed a complaint with Prantij police after which the fresh case of human smuggling came to light.