Gujarat family travelling to US goes missing, relatives get ₹1 crore ransom call from Ethiopia

Three residents of Gujarat who allegedly travelled to the US through an illegal route have gone missing in Ethiopia, with their families claiming they were kidnapped and that the abductors demanded ₹1 crore for their release, a TOI report stated. The missing persons have been identified as Rutvik Jansari, Mamta Chavda and Mayuri. The three, who are related to one another, left for the US on September 20 with the help of agents, their families said. Their whereabouts have remained unknown since September 22, police said on Tuesday. The families have appealed to the government to intervene and bring them back safely. They alleged that they had paid large sums to agents to arrange the journey.

Gujarat families claim ₹1 crore ransom demand

Mamta's father, Kiritbhai Chauhan, said the family had paid around ₹70 lakh for each of the three individuals to an agent to facilitate their travel to the US. According to Chauhan, the three reached Ethiopia, where they were allegedly held captive. The kidnappers then demanded ₹1 crore for their release, he claimed.

"We have already paid huge money to send them (to the US). We have nothing left and are helpless. We request the government to bring our three children back safely," Chauhan said.


Rutvik's grandfather, Kanubhai Jansari, also claimed that the kidnappers had demanded ₹1 crore to release the three. He said ₹60 lakh had already been paid to the abductors but did not provide further details. A local agent, Alpesh Panchal, told reporters that the people who allegedly kidnapped the three in Ethiopia had demanded a ransom of ₹1 crore. The families have sought government assistance to secure their safe return.

Who are the three missing Gujarat residents?

The three missing persons are related to one another and belong to different parts of Gujarat.

• Rutvik Jansari: A resident of Vadsma village in Mehsana district.
• Mamta Chavda: Originally from Mehsana and currently living in Ahmedabad.
• Mayuri: A resident of Gandhinagar.

Their families said they left their homes on September 20 to travel to the US through intermediaries. They allegedly made arrangements through an agent from Mehsana district, who connected them with another agent from Vadodara.

Why did Mamta attempt to travel to the US?

According to Inspector A M Gehlot of Langhnaj police station, Mamta's husband, Chirag Kumar, had travelled to the US on a student visa around six months ago. Mamta had allegedly made several attempts to obtain an American visa but was unsuccessful. Her family subsequently approached intermediaries to arrange her journey to the US through an illegal route, Gehlot said.

The complaint stated that the agents had allegedly fixed a payment of ₹75 lakh per person for the journey. Mamta, Rutvik and Mayuri left their homes on September 20.

Police register missing persons complaint

Police said the three had been reported missing and that their whereabouts could not be established after September 22. Mamta's father lodged a missing persons complaint on Tuesday at the Langhnaj police station, Inspector Gehlot said.

"On September 22, Kiritbhai spoke to his daughter Mamta. After that, there has been no contact with her. A missing person's complaint was registered at the Langhnaj police station after family members failed to establish contact with the three," the inspector said.

The families have approached the authorities for help, seeking the safe return of the three missing persons from Ethiopia.

(Inputs from PTI)