Gujarat family kidnapped in Libya, Rs 2 crore ransom sought

A couple from Gujarat’s Mehsana district and their three-year-old daughter, who were on their way to Portugal, have been taken hostage in Libya with their abductors demanding a ransom of Rs 2 crore.

Brother settled in Portugal

Speaking to reporters, Mehsana Superintendent of Police Himanshu Solanki said that Kismatsinh Chavda, his wife Heenaben and daughter Devanshi were kidnapped in Libya, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, en route to Portugal. He further stated that Chavda’s brother was settled in Portugal.

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Elaborating further, Solanki said that the family, hailing from Badalpura village in the district, was travelling with the help of a Portugal-based agent with the plan to settle in the European country, adding that Mehsana Collector SK Prajapati has been informed about the incident.

Left for Dubai on November 29

“The family took a flight to Dubai from Ahmedabad on November 29. From there, they were taken to Benghazi City in Libya, where they were kidnapped,” added Solanki.

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“Chavda’s brother is settled in Portugal, and he was travelling with the help of an agent based in Portugal. The family was travelling with the intention to settle there, and the agents involved in the case are not Indians,” Solanki said.

The official said that the kidnappers have contacted the relatives of the family in Mehsana, demanding Rs 2 crore as ransom.

Collector Prajapati said that Chavda’s kin approached him on Friday, and that he has informed the state government and the Ministry of External Affairs about their case.

Earlier incident

Earlier this year, in July, an Indian national, Ranjit Singh, was abducted in Niger’s Dosso region while he was working at a construction site, officials said. Singh, a resident of Ramban district in Jammu and Kashmir, was kidnapped by unidentified armed men during the incident. Reports also said that two other Indian workers were allegedly killed in the same attack.

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According to local media reports in Niger, the incident took place when unidentified gunmen targeted an Army unit deployed to guard the construction site in Dosso. The region is located around 130 kilometres from the country’s capital, Niamey. During the attack, the assailants reportedly overpowered the security personnel and abducted Singh from the site.

The reports further stated that the attack created panic in the area, with details emerging gradually through local sources. No immediate information was available on the whereabouts of Singh following the abduction. At the same time, local authorities initiated investigations to ascertain the circumstances surrounding the attack and the fate of those involved.

(With agency inputs)