New Delhi: Three relatives from Gujarat who attempted to reach the United States through an alleged irregular migration route have vanished in Ethiopia, prompting their distressed families to report that the trio has been abducted for a ransom of one crore rupees. The missing individuals have been identified as Rutvik Jansari from Vadsma village in Mehsana district, Mamta Chavda, originally from Mehsana and residing in Ahmedabad, and Mayuri from Gandhinagar.
The trio departed India on September 20 after their families arranged their travel through local intermediaries. Distraught relatives have appealed for urgent intervention from the government to secure their safe return, stating that communication abruptly ceased shortly after the group arrived in the East African country.
According to police authorities, Mamta’s husband had relocated to the United States on a student visa roughly six months earlier. After multiple unsuccessful attempts to secure a legitimate American visa, the family turned to unauthorized travel operators. Investigators at the Langhnaj police station in Mehsana confirmed that an amount between 70 lakh and 75 lakh rupees per traveller was negotiated with an agent, who coordinated with a counterpart based in Vadodara to facilitate the journey.
Mamta’s father, Kiritbhai Chauhan, filed a formal missing persons complaint on Tuesday, informing police that he last spoke directly with his daughter on September 22. Family members subsequently received demands from abductors in Ethiopia demanding a ransom of one crore rupees for their release. Rutvik’s grandfather, Kanubhai Jansari, stated that the captors had already collected roughly 60 lakh rupees from the families, leaving them financially drained and pleading for diplomatic assistance. Local police have registered the case and are working to establish the full sequence of events surrounding their disappearance.
