Three Gujarat residents return after alleged Ethiopia abduction, ransom demand

Three Gujarat residents who allegedly went missing after travelling to Ethiopia on an illegal route to the US have returned to India. Police said their return was facilitated by the MEA and local authorities, while investigations continue into the alleged abduction

Mehsana: Three Gujarat residents who went missing in Ethiopia while allegedly attempting to reach the United States through an illegal migration route have returned to India and are on their way to Mehsana district, police confirmed on Thursday.

Rutvik Jansari, Mamta Chavda and Mayuri had left Gujarat on September 20 after allegedly paying agents tens of lakhs of rupees to facilitate their journey to the US.

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“They reached Mumbai airport at 3 a.m. today with the help and coordination of the Ministry of External Affairs and other local authorities. They are on their way to Mehsana, their hometown,” Langhnaj Police Inspector Ankush Gehlot told IANS.

The police officer said the alleged abductors have reportedly been identified as being linked to the “Baba Khan network”, but stressed that the matter is still under investigation.

“The abductors have reportedly been found to be from the Baba Khan network. The matter is currently being investigated,” Gehlot said.

The three had travelled through Jaipur and Abu Dhabi before reaching Ethiopia. Their families lost contact with them after September 22, following which Mamta Chavda’s father, Kirit Chauhan, approached the Langhnaj police.

According to the complaint, Mamta’s husband, Chiragkumar, had travelled to the US around six months earlier on a student visa.

Mamta had allegedly attempted to obtain a US visa six times but was unsuccessful, following which the family approached intermediaries to arrange her travel through an illegal route.

Gehlot said the family initially approached a person identified as Jitubhai, who connected them with Mehsana-based agent Alpesh Patel. Alpesh subsequently put them in touch with Bhargav Patel of Vadodara.

The cost of the journey was allegedly fixed at around Rs 75 lakh per person.

Earlier, family members had told reporters that they had paid around Rs 70 lakh per person to agents.

After the three reached Ethiopia, a man identifying himself as “Khan” allegedly contacted the family and demanded Rs 1 crore for their release.

Rutvik’s grandfather, Kanubhai Jansari, had claimed that Rs 60 lakh was paid after the three were allegedly taken captive, but the demand for Rs 1 crore continued.

The families subsequently sought government intervention for their safe return. The case is the latest involving Gujaratis attempting to reach the US through illegal migration routes.

In January 2022, a family of four from Dingucha in Gandhinagar district froze to death while attempting to cross from Canada into the US. In 2023, a Mehsana family drowned in the St Lawrence River during a similar attempt.

In May 2025, a Mehsana family was among those on a boat that capsized off the California coast while attempting to enter the US from Mexico.

Police are continuing to investigate the alleged abduction, the ransom demand and the role of the agents who arranged the trio’s journey.