A family’s plan to send three relatives to the United States through an illegal migration route has reportedly ended in a kidnapping ordeal in Ethiopia. The three Gujarat residents have allegedly been held captive, with the kidnappers demanding a ransom of Rs 1 crore for their release.
The three have been identified as Ritwik Jansari of Vadsma village in Mehsana, Mamta Chavda of Gojaria and Mayuri of Gandhinagar. The relatives had left Gujarat together on September 20 in an attempt to reach the US.
Their families contacted the police four days later after losing communication with them. According to the families, the trio had stopped responding to calls before a man subsequently contacted them and allegedly demanded money for their release.
Family Paid Up To Rs 75 Lakh Per Person For US Route
Police said Kiritbhai Chauhan, a resident of Gojaria, had approached an agent after his daughter was repeatedly unsuccessful in obtaining a US visa.
The family was allegedly offered an alternative route to the US through illegal migration channels. The amount reportedly agreed upon with the agents varied between Rs 60 lakh and Rs 75 lakh per person.
The family subsequently paid the money in instalments to local agent Alpesh Panchal, a resident of Dangarva village in Kadi.
According to Panchal, the three initially travelled from Gujarat to Rajasthan and then reached Jaipur. From there, they boarded an Etihad Airways flight to Abu Dhabi before continuing their journey to Ethiopia.
Three Relatives Stayed In Addis Ababa
After arriving in Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian capital, the three reportedly stayed at a GSF camp on Swaziland Street. Family members and police said they were travelling on Ethiopian e-visas valid from September 19 to October 19.
The agent allegedly continued communicating with the family and collecting payments in instalments. The family was reportedly told that the three had reached Canada and would soon proceed towards the US.
Mamta spoke to her father on September 22 and reportedly told him that they had reached Canada. However, communication with the three subsequently stopped.
The family initially believed they were continuing their journey towards the US before receiving the alleged ransom call.
Kidnappers Demand Rs 1 Crore
According to the family, a man who identified himself as “Khan” later contacted them and demanded Rs 1 crore for the release of the three relatives. The identities of the alleged kidnappers have not yet been established.
Mamta’s father, Kiranbhai, said the family had paid a substantial amount to the agent to arrange the journey and had trusted him throughout the process.
“We sent our children to America. The three kidnapped are my daughter, my brother-in-law’s son, and my sister-in-law’s daughter. We paid the agent 7 million rupees. The agent stayed with us and helped us.”
The families have now appealed to the government to intervene and secure the safe return of the three relatives. Ritwik’s father and Mamta’s mother have also urged the authorities to take action.
“The government should bring our children back,” they said, according to the family.
Agent Says Rs 60 Lakh Paid After Abduction
Alpesh Panchal, who arranged part of the journey, also spoke about the alleged kidnapping. He said the three had travelled from Gujarat through Rajasthan and Jaipur before flying to Abu Dhabi and eventually reaching Ethiopia. Panchal claimed the family had been told that the trio had reached Canada even though they were actually still in Ethiopia.
“After the abduction in Ethiopia, the kidnappers were paid 6 million rupees, but they are still demanding 10 million rupees,” Panchal said.
He also claimed that he had been unable to establish contact with the person who was supposed to facilitate the next stage of the journey.
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