Ahmedabad, December 14: A family from Gujarat, including a married couple and their three-year-old daughter, has reportedly been abducted and is currently being held hostage in Libya after an alleged travel agent deceit. The family, identified as residents of Badalpur (Meu) village in Mehsana district, intended to migrate to Europe but were diverted to Libya after departing from Dubai on December 1.
The hostages have been identified as Chavda Kismatsinh Bharatsinh, Chavda Heenaben Kismatsinh, and their daughter, Devanshi. According to information provided by their relatives, the family was taken to an undisclosed location where they were allegedly threatened. On December 4, the purported abductors sent WhatsApp messages demanding a ransom, initially seeking $54,000, which was later escalated to ₹2 crore (approximately $240,000).
In response to the crisis, the victims’ relatives immediately petitioned the Mehsana Collector for urgent governmental intervention. The Collector has since assured action and escalated the matter to both the Gujarat state government and the Central government. Furthermore, Member of Parliament Mayank Patel has raised the issue at higher administrative levels, prompting expected coordination with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) to secure the family’s safe repatriation.
Family members claim the abductors, who reportedly speak Urdu, are Pakistani nationals, and they have implicated a Dubai-based agent, Mehta Harshit Kamleshbhai, in the alleged scheme.
Authorities are actively working to verify all details surrounding the abduction and are focusing on coordinated efforts to ensure the family’s safe return to India.
