Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
A family’s attempt to reach the United States through an illegal route has turned into a nightmare after three relatives from Gujarat were allegedly kidnapped in Ethiopia. The kidnappers have demanded Rs 1 crore for their release. Ritwik Jansari from Vadsma village in Mehsana, Mamta Chavda from Gojaria and Mayuri from Gandhinagar had travelled together to pursue their journey to America.
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The three relatives began their journey from Gujarat on September 20. Four days later, their families approached the police after losing contact with them. The families told police that the trio had stopped responding and that they were later contacted by a man who demanded ransome.
According to the police, Kiritbhai Chauhan, a resident of Gojaria, had approached an agent after his daughter repeatedly failed to obtain a US visa.
The family was told that the three could be taken to the US through an illegal migration route. Different accounts put the amount agreed with the agents at between Rs 60 lakh and Rs 75 lakh per person.
The family eventually paid the money in instalments to local agent Alpesh Panchal, a resident of Dangarva village in Kadi. According to Panchal, the three first travelled from Gujarat to Rajasthan and then to Jaipur. From Jaipur, they flew to Abu Dhabi on an Etihad Airways flight.
Their journey then continued to Ethiopia.
FROM ABU DHABI TO ETHIOPIA
After reaching Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, the three stayed at a GSF camp on Swaziland Street. They had obtained Ethiopian e-visas valid from September 19 to October 19, according to the details shared by the family and police.
During this period, the agent remained in contact with the family and collected money in instalments. The family was told that the three had reached Canada and would soon travel onwards to the US.
But after Mamta contacted her father on September 22 and said they had reached Canada, communication suddenly stopped. The family initially believed the three were continuing their journey towards the US.
Instead, they soon received a call that changed everything.
RS 1 CRORE RANSOM DEMANDED
According to the family, a man identifying himself as “Khan” contacted them and demanded Rs 1 crore for the release of the three relatives. The identity of the kidnappers remains unknown.
Mamta’s father, Kiranbhai, said the family had paid the agent a large amount of money to arrange the journey and 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 family is now seeking government assistance to bring the three relatives home safely. Ritwik’s father and Mamta’s mother have also appealed to the authorities to intervene.
“The government should bring our children back,” they said, according to the family.
AGENT CLAIMS MONEY WAS PAID
Alpesh Panchal, the local agent who arranged part of the journey, has also spoken about the incident. Panchal said the three were taken from Gujarat to Rajasthan before travelling through Jaipur and Abu Dhabi and eventually reaching Ethiopia.
He claimed the family was informed that the trio had reached Canada, although 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 said he had been unable to contact the person who was supposed to be the next link in the journey.
Police are now trying to establish what happened after the three relatives arrived in Ethiopia and who was responsible for their alleged kidnapping. Investigators are also examining the network that arranged their onward travel and trying to identify the people who contacted the family with the ransom demand.
Police are also looking into whether the agents who arranged the journey were aware of what happened to the trio after they reached Ethiopia, and whether others were involved in facilitating their movement across countries.
– Ends
SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
