A couple from Mehsana district and their three-year-old daughter were allegedly taken hostage in Libya while travelling to Portugal via Dubai.
The district administration has informed the state government and the Ministry of External Affairs, and efforts are under way to secure the family’s release.
Gujarat Family Allegedly Kidnapped In Libya While Trying To Migrate To Portugal
Police said the kidnappers have demanded Rs 2 crore as ransom and have contacted the family’s relatives in Gujarat.
Summary
A couple from Gujarat’s Mehsana district and their three-year-old daughter were allegedly taken hostage in Libya and held for a ransom of Rs 2 crore while attempting to immigrate to Portugal, officials said on Saturday.
Kismatsinh Chavda, his wife Heenaben and their daughter Devanshi were kidnapped in the North African country while en route to Portugal, where Chavda’s brother is settled, Mehsana Superintendent of Police Himanshu Solanki said.
According to Solanki, the family, which hails from Badalpura village in the district, was travelling with the assistance of a Portugal-based agent, with plans to settle in the European country. He said Mehsana Collector SK Prajapati has been informed about the incident.
The family flew from Ahmedabad to Dubai on November 29, after which they were taken to Benghazi city in Libya, where the kidnapping allegedly took place, Solanki said.
“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.
Solanki added that the kidnappers have contacted the family’s relatives in Mehsana and demanded a ransom of Rs 2 crore.
Collector Prajapati said Chavda’s relatives approached him on Friday, following which he informed the state government and the Ministry of External Affairs about the case.
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