A man involved in a human smuggling operation that resulted in the tragic deaths of a family of four near the Manitoba border is seeking an appeal in a U.S. court next month. The bodies of Jagdish Patel, his wife Vaishali, and their two children, Vihangi and Dharmik, were discovered in a snow-covered field close to the U.S. border in January 2022.
The court is set to review the appeal argument presented by Steve Shand’s attorney in St. Paul, Minnesota, on October 23. Earlier this year, Shand’s lawyer requested the United States Court of Appeals to overturn the conviction and sentence of his client in federal court, proposing a retrial or other appropriate legal actions.
Steve Shand, a resident of Florida, was apprehended near the border on the night of the tragic incident. He received a 6½-year prison term in Fergus Falls, Minnesota, last year after a swift guilty verdict along with co-defendant Harshkumar Patel. Harshkumar Patel, an Indian national unrelated to the deceased family, also faced charges in connection with illegal immigration and profiteering.
Patel was sentenced to 10 years for orchestrating the smuggling scheme and enlisting Shand to transport migrants who had crossed into the U.S. from Manitoba. The day the Patel family perished, the temperature dipped to -23°C, with wind chill factors plunging it to -35 to -38 degrees.
The court is anticipated to render a written decision on the appeal at a later date.
