Three Gujarat residents who went missing in Ethiopia while trying to reach the US using an illegal 'dunki' route have safely returned to India. The trio, identified as Rutvik Jansari, Mamta Chavda, and Mayuri, arrived at Mumbai airport early Thursday morning and are on their way back to their home district of Mehsana.
Their safe return was facilitated through coordination between the Ministry of External Affairs and local authorities.
The group had departed Gujarat on September 20 after paying agents tens of lakhs of rupees to arrange their journey to the United States through the illegal route. The decision followed Mamta Chavda's unsuccessful attempts to secure a US visa. She faced six rejections while trying to join her husband, Chiragkumar, who had moved to the US six months earlier on a student visa. Seeking an alternative, the family approached intermediaries to organise the travel.
Also read: 3 Indian Relatives, On Way To US, 'Vanish'. Then Comes A Call From Ethiopia
Many handlers were involved in the network. A man named Jitubhai introduced the family to Mehsana-based agent Alpesh Patel. Patel then connected them with Bhargav Patel of Vadodara. They asked for Rs 75 lakh per person.
The family paid Rs 70 lakh per person.
They reached Ethiopia through Jaipur and Abu Dhabi. All direct contact with the travellers ceased after September 22, prompting Mamta's father, Kirit Chauhan, to file a complaint with the Langhnaj police.
Soon, an individual identifying himself as Khan contacted the family, claiming the three had been taken captive and demanding a ransom of Rs 1 crore. Rutvik's grandfather, Kanubhai Jansari, stated that Rs 60 lakh was paid.
Police have indicated that the kidnappers were linked to the Baba Khan network. They are probing the kidnapping, the ransom demand, and the role the travel agents played in the crime.
Similar incidents have also taken place in the past. A family froze to death near the Canada border in January 2022, and another drowned in the St Lawrence River in 2023.
