‘Rs 1 crore ransom’: 3 Gujarat residents heading to US kidnapped in Ethiopia

Mamta's father, Kiritbhai Chauhan, said the family had paid around Rs 70 lakh for each person to an agent to arrange their journey to the US

NEW DELHI: Three Gujarat residents who allegedly left for the US through an illegal route have gone missing after reaching Ethiopia, with their families claiming they were kidnapped and that the abductors have demanded a ransom of Rs 1 crore for their release.The three — two women and a man who are related to each other — left Gujarat on September 20 with the help of an agent from Mehsana district, who allegedly connected them with another agent in Vadodara, their relatives told reporters. Police said their whereabouts have not been ascertained since September 22.The missing persons have been identified as Rutvik Jansari of Vadsma village in Mehsana, Mamta Chavda, originally from Mehsana and now living in Ahmedabad, and Mayuri from Gandhinagar.Mamta's father, Kiritbhai Chauhan, said the family had paid around Rs 70 lakh for each person to an agent to arrange their journey to the US. After the three reached Ethiopia, they were allegedly held captive and their abductors demanded Rs 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, appealing to the authorities for help.

Rutvik's grandfather Kanubhai Jansari also claimed that the kidnappers had demanded Rs 1 crore and said Rs 60 lakh had already been paid to the abductors. A local agent, Alpesh Panchal, separately told reporters that a Rs 1 crore ransom had been demanded.

Police said Mamta's father lodged a missing persons complaint on Tuesday. Inspector A M Gehlot of Langhnaj police station said Mamta's husband, Chirag Kumar, had travelled to the US on a student visa around six months ago.

Mamta had allegedly made several unsuccessful attempts to obtain an American visa before her family approached intermediaries to arrange her travel through an illegal route.According to the complaint, Rs 75 lakh per person had allegedly been fixed for the journey, following which Mamta, Rutvik and Mayuri left Gujarat on September 20."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," Gehlot said.(With inputs from PTI)