Three relatives from Gujarat have reportedly gone missing while travelling toward the United States through an alleged illegal migration route. Their families have claimed that the three were abducted in Ethiopia and are seeking government assistance to locate them.
The three individuals have been identified as Rutvik Jansari from Vadsma village in Mehsana, Mamta Chavda from Mehsana who currently lives in Ahmedabad, and Mayuri from Gandhinagar.
According to their relatives, the three left India on September 20 with the assistance of intermediaries and have not been reachable since September 22.
Families allege abduction and ransom demand
Mamta’s father, Kiritbhai Chauhan, said the family had paid an agent approximately ₹70 lakh for each person to arrange their journey to the United States.
He alleged that the three were detained after reaching Ethiopia and that people claiming to be their abductors demanded ₹1 crore for their release.
Rutvik’s grandfather, Kanubhai Jansari, made a similar allegation and said that ₹60 lakh had already been paid in response to the ransom demand.
A local agent also told reporters that the alleged abductors had demanded ₹1 crore.
The families said the three had travelled with the help of an agent from Mehsana district, who allegedly connected them with another intermediary from Vadodara.
The claims of abduction and ransom have not been independently established, and authorities are investigating the circumstances surrounding the disappearance.
Police report the three missing
Police have confirmed that the three individuals have been reported missing and that their whereabouts have not been established since September 22.
Inspector A. M. Gehlot of the Langhnaj police station in Mehsana district said Mamta’s father filed a missing-person complaint on Tuesday.
According to the complaint, Mamta’s husband, Chirag Kumar, travelled to the United States on a student visa approximately six months earlier. Mamta had reportedly attempted several times to obtain a US visa but was unsuccessful.
Police said the family subsequently approached intermediaries to arrange her travel through an unauthorized route.
Mamta, Rutvik and Mayuri reportedly left their homes on September 20.
Kiritbhai spoke with his daughter by phone on September 22, after which the family was unable to contact her. A missing-person complaint was subsequently filed after relatives failed to establish contact with any of the three.
Authorities are now working to determine their whereabouts and establish what happened after they left India.
