Gujarat trio kidnapped in Ethiopia rescued

Mehsana: Three Gujarat residents who were allegedly kidnapped in Ethiopia after travelling towards the US through an illegal route have been safely rescued and returned to India without any ransom being paid, officials said.

The three, a man and two women, went missing after reaching Ethiopia, with their families alleging that their abductors had demanded ₹1 crore for their release.

The rescue was carried out through coordinated efforts by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and Gujarat Police. The three arrived in Mumbai around 3 am on Thursday, where their families met them, and are expected to reach their respective homes later in the day.

The victims have been identified as Rutvik Jansari of Vadsma village in Mehsana, Mamta Chavda, originally from Mehsana and currently residing in Ahmedabad, and Mayuri from Gandhinagar. According to their relatives, the three are related to each other.

They left Gujarat on September 20 with the help of an agent from Mehsana, who allegedly connected them with another agent in Vadodara. Police said their whereabouts could not be ascertained after September 22, following which Mamta’s father, Kiritbhai Chauhan, lodged a missing-person complaint.

According to their families, they had agreed to pay around ₹75 lakh per person to intermediaries to arrange their journey to the US, of which around ₹70 lakh was paid upfront.

After reaching Ethiopia, the three were allegedly held captive by local agents, who demanded another ₹1 crore from their families for their release. The families then approached the authorities and sought their intervention.

Mehsana Police subsequently contacted the MEA, following which the two sides coordinated with the concerned departments and agencies and worked through diplomatic channels to secure the trio’s release.

No ransom was paid by the families, officials said. The three were released following the intervention and negotiations involving Indian authorities.

Langhnaj Police are now investigating the role of the agents who allegedly facilitated the journey and the circumstances surrounding the trio’s travel.

Police had earlier said Mamta had made several unsuccessful attempts to obtain a US visa before her family approached intermediaries to arrange her travel through an alleged illegal route. Her husband, Chirag Kumar, had reportedly travelled to the US on a student visa around six months earlier.

The safe return of the three has brought relief to their families, who had been waiting for them after their alleged kidnapping came to light. DeshGujarat