Three Gujarat residents who allegedly went missing in Ethiopia while attempting to reach the US through an illegal migration route have returned to India….reports Asian Lite News Desk
Three Gujarat residents who allegedly went missing in Ethiopia while attempting to reach the US through an illegal migration route have returned to India and are travelling back to Mehsana, police said.
Rutvik Jansari, Mamta Chavda and Mayuri had left Gujarat on September 20 after allegedly paying agents tens of lakhs of rupees to arrange their journey to the US.
Langhnaj Police Inspector Ankush Gehlot said the trio arrived at Mumbai airport at around 3am on Thursday with the assistance of the Ministry of External Affairs and other authorities.
“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,” Gehlot told IANS.
The police said the alleged abductors had reportedly been identified as being linked to the “Baba Khan network”, but stressed that the investigation was still under way.
“The abductors have reportedly been found to be from the Baba Khan network. The matter is currently being investigated,” Gehlot said.
The three had reportedly travelled through Jaipur and Abu Dhabi before reaching Ethiopia. Their families lost contact with them after September 22, prompting Mamta’s father, Kirit Chauhan, to approach Langhnaj police.
According to the complaint, Mamta’s husband, Chiragkumar, had travelled to the US about six months earlier on a student visa. Mamta had allegedly made six unsuccessful attempts to obtain a US visa before the family turned to intermediaries to arrange an illegal route.
Gehlot said the family initially approached a person identified as Jitubhai, who connected them with Mehsana-based agent Alpesh Patel. Alpesh allegedly introduced them to Bhargav Patel of Vadodara.
The cost of the journey was reportedly fixed at around Rs 75 lakh per person, while family members had earlier told reporters they paid about Rs 70 lakh each.
After the trio reached Ethiopia, a man identifying himself as “Khan” allegedly contacted the families 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 to secure their safe return.
The case is the latest involving people from Gujarat 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 travelling on a boat that capsized off the California coast while allegedly attempting to enter the US from Mexico.
Police are continuing to investigate the alleged abduction, the ransom demand and the role of the agents involved in arranging the trio’s journey.
