Daijiworld Media Network - Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad, Sep 30: Three relatives from Gujarat who travelled towards the United States through an alleged illegal migration route have reportedly been kidnapped in Ethiopia, with their families receiving a ransom demand of Rs 1 crore.
The missing persons have been identified as 23-year-old Rutvik Jansari from Vadsma village in Mehsana, 30-year-old Mamta Chavda from Gojaria and 27-year-old Mayuri Solanki from Gandhinagar, according to reports. The three reportedly left Gujarat on September 20 after engaging agents to arrange their journey to the US.
According to the families, Mamta's repeated attempts to obtain a US visa had failed, following which they approached agents who promised to facilitate travel to America through an unauthorised route. Different reports have put the agreed cost at around Rs 70 lakh to Rs 75 lakh per person, while the families are reported to have paid around Rs 70 lakh initially in instalments.
The journey reportedly began from Gujarat and continued through Rajasthan and Jaipur. From Jaipur, the trio travelled by Etihad Airways to Abu Dhabi and then continued to Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian capital. They stayed at a facility identified as the GSF camp on Swaziland Street and were reported to have Ethiopian e-visas valid from September 19 to October 19.
The families were allegedly told by the agents that the three had reached Canada and would subsequently travel to the United States. Mamta reportedly contacted her family on September 22 and said they had reached Canada. Communication with the trio then stopped, according to the families.
The situation took a serious turn when a man identifying himself as "Khan" reportedly contacted the family and demanded Rs 1 crore for the release of the three. Their whereabouts and the identity of the caller have not been independently established.
The families have approached police and sought government intervention to secure the safe return of their relatives. A missing-person complaint has been registered, and police are investigating the circumstances surrounding the trio's disappearance and the ransom call.
Local agent Alpesh Panchal, who is reported to have helped arrange part of the journey, said the three travelled through Jaipur and Abu Dhabi before reaching Ethiopia. He also claimed that the family had been told they were in Canada when they were actually still in Ethiopia.
Panchal further claimed that Rs 60 lakh had already been paid following the abduction, but the kidnappers continued to demand Rs 1 crore. Police are examining the role of the agents and attempting to trace the people involved in arranging the journey and the ransom communication.
The case has also raised concerns over the risks associated with illegal migration networks and the large sums being collected from families seeking to send relatives to the US through unauthorised routes. Gujarati media reports said another youth who had travelled with the group but used a different agent was able to return safely.
Investigators are now trying to establish what happened after the three arrived in Addis Ababa, whether they were actually abducted and who was responsible for the alleged confinement and ransom demand. The role of the agents and any wider international network involved in the journey is also being examined.