Gujarat trio allegedly held captive in Ethiopia released, no ransom paid: Police

The three members of a Gujarat family who were taken captive in the East African nation of Ethiopia while on their way to the US through an illegal migration route reached Mumbai on Thursday after being released, with police saying no ransom was paid for their release.

The three, Rutvik Jansari, Mamta Chavda and Mayuri, from Mehsana and Gandhinagar, left for the US on September 20 with the help of agents. They last contacted their kin on September 22, according to the complaint lodged with the Gujarat Police.

A man identifying himself as “Khan” allegedly contacted the family and demanded ₹1 crore ransom for their release. Jansari’s grandfather, Kanubhai, said they had paid ₹60 lakh after the three were taken captive, but the abductors continued to demand ₹1 crore.

Inspector AM Ghelot of the Langhnaj police station, where the missing persons complaint was filed, told HT that the three were released after police negotiated with the people holding them captive. He said the police told the captors that the families were not in a position to pay the ransom and persuaded them to release the three.

“We explained to them that the financial condition of the families whose relatives they had held captive. We tried to reason with them on phone. Following the negotiations, they released the three and put them on a flight to India,” Ghelot told HT over the phone.

Ghelot said no ransom was paid for their release. He said the police had informed the central government and the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) about the case, but he did not have information on what role they played in securing the release of the three.

The three reached Mumbai airport on Thursday noon and are on their way home to Mehsana, Ghelot added.

The alleged abduction is the latest in a series of cases involving perilous routes for illegal immigration from Gujarat.

In October 2025, four people, including a couple from Gandhinagar, allegedly headed to Australia, claimed they were held captive in Tehran before they were released after the Indian government’s intervention and returned home.

A family from Gujarat’s Mehsana attempting to illegally enter the US from Mexico was among at least 16 people on a boat that capsized in waters off Torrey Pines State Beach in May 2025. In January 2022, a family of four from Dingucha (Gandhinagar) froze to death while trying to cross from Canada into the US. A year later, a Mehsana family drowned in the St Lawrence River during a similar attempt.

Despite deportations, illegal immigration continues. Smuggling networks charge exorbitant fees to transport migrants through complex international pathways. Alternative routes include hazardous sea passages to Europe.

In December 2023, French authorities grounded a chartered Legend Airways flight from Dubai to Nicaragua carrying 303 Indians, including 66 from Gujarat, exposing a human trafficking operation.