A well known Indo-Canadian family with businesses in Surrey and Toronto, who have been charged with running an illegal money transaction racket, is now being investigated for people smuggling.

But the family has denied the accusations saying Indian police is trying to frame them.

The Asian Pacific Post reported on April 7, 2005 that Indian police allege the family used a non-government organization based in Ludhiana, Panjab and two foreign exchange businesses in Surrey and Toronto as a cover for their illegal activities to siphon hundreds of thousands of dollars from immigrants who were sending money back to their homeland.

The Asian Pacific Post: April 7, 2005 issue

Indian police said they have raided the properties of the family in Panjab and have issued notices for the arrests of Pritam Singh Deol and his sons Rajpreet Singh Deol and Davinder Deol.

Pritam was the district president of the Non-Resident Indian Sabha in Ludhiana--an organization established to sort out the problems of Panjabis who had settled overseas.

The Deols are accused of siphoning money by operating the Hawala money remittance system, which exists and operates outside of Canada's parallel to 'traditional' banking or financial channels.

After the raids, Police in Ludhiana, Panjab said that they have also charged Rajpreet Singh Deol following a complaint that he had taken about C$9,000 to help a man get into Canada.

The man apparently made a recording of the conversation with the accused which police are analyzing.

Gurbreet Singh, Station House Officer with police in Ludhiana told The Globe and Mail which picked up the story last week, that "the allegations are that [Mr. Deol] was helping people come to Canada illegally."

Rajpreet Deol, when contacted by the newspaper said the so-called taped conversation allegedly occurred 13 years ago.

He said that Indian police are intentionally bringing a vexatious case against him in retaliation for his complaint that they were involved in the kidney trade, the buying and selling of human body parts.

"The police put this case on me. I feel like I'm being set up," said Deol, 37, who has a wife and four children.