FERGUS FALLS, Minn. — (AP) — An Indian migrant who survived a deadly trek across the Canada-U.S. border in blizzard conditions is expected to testify Tuesday in the federal trial of two men accused of taking part in a sprawling human smuggling scheme that ultimately killed a family of four.
Prosecutors allege Indian national Harshkumar Ramanlal Patel, 29, and Steve Shand, 50, put financial profit over human life when they attempted to smuggle Indian migrants across the border into Minnesota over a five-week period. They say Patel ran part of the smuggling scheme and recruited Shand as a driver. Both men have pleaded not guilty to four federal counts related to human smuggling.
Prosecutors say the family of four — 39-year-old Jagdish Patel; his wife, Vaishaliben, who was in her mid-30s; their 11-year-old daughter, Vihangi; and 3-year-old son, Dharmik — froze to death Jan. 19, 2022, after spending hours wandering in heavy snow and bone-chilling cold. Shand had been waiting in a truck …