Who is Babuji? The mysterious human smuggler at centre of Canada manhunt

Deadly US dreams: He charges upto $15,000 a person to aid US journeys
AHMEDABAD: Ahmedabad : In the shadowy world of human smuggling, one name has repeatedly surfaced in ongoing investigations — Babuji — a mysterious figure allegedly responsible for organising a fatal migrant crossing that resulted in the drowning of a family from Guja rat in the frigid waters of the St Lawrence river, according to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP).
The victims, identified as the Chaudhari family from Vasai-Dabhla village in Mehsana — Pravin, 50, his wife Daksha, 45, daughter Vidhi, 23, and son Mitkumar, 20 — had hoped to secure a better future in the US.
Instead, they became casualties of a cross-border smuggling operation allegedly controlled by ‘Babuji’, a Canada-based Gujarati also known as Babuchi or Babubhai.
Canadian investigators and sources within the Indian diaspora report that Babuji has emerged as a key figure in a transnational network smuggling undocumented Indians, primarily from Gujarat and Punjab, into the United States.
Babuji known as ‘Indian man who brings many into US’
The Chaudhari family’s ill-fated journey began when they arrived in Montreal after taking a domestic flight from Winnipeg in March 2023.
Their movements were closely monitored by Canadian law enforcement after they were picked up in a grey Dodge Caravan, allegedly driven by one of Babuji’s associates. The vehicle travelled west along Highway 401, making a brief stop at an Esso gas station in South Lancaster, Ontario.
By nightfall on March 23, 2023, the family checked into a modest motel in Cornwall, unaware they were being guided toward a dangerous crossing orchestrated by Babuji’s network. Six days later, their lifeless bodies were recovered from the St Lawrence river, along with four Romanian immigrants and the boat operator who had attempted to ferry them into the US.
Investigators believe the larger smuggling operation was masterminded by Montreal-based Thesingarasan Rasiah, originally from Sri Lanka. Rasiah’s close aide, Joel Portillo, handled logistics, including payments, drivers and coordination with secondary smugglers.
Yet court records and immigration sources place the elusive Babuji at the centre of the conspiracy. Described only as an “Indian man who brings many people into the US”, Babuji reportedly charged between $10,000 and $15,000 per immigrant, with prices varying depending on the route and associated risks.
Investigators also identified a common phone number through which illegal immigrants and boat operators received instructions. This number was linked to Babuji and had been used to direct previous border crossings. Meanwhile, back in Gujarat, the Chaudhari family’s relatives told police that they paid $100,000 to smugglers, expecting safe passage to the US. Instead, the family faced harsh conditions before the fatal river crossing.
As the RCMP traced $1.4 million in suspicious transactions linked to Rasiah’s smuggling ring, Babuji’s whereabouts remain unknown.