Three Indians kidnapped in Ethiopia on US ‘Dunki’ Route Return Back

Three residents of Gujarat who went missing in Ethiopia while allegedly attempting to reach the US through an illegal migration route have returned to India and are on their way to Mehsana, police said on Thursday.

Rutvik Jansari, Mamta Chavda and Mayuri had left Gujarat on September 20 after allegedly paying agents tens of lakhs of rupees to facilitate their journey to the US.

Langhnaj Police Inspector Ankush Gehlot said the three reached Mumbai airport around 3 a.m. with the assistance of the Ministry of External Affairs and other local authorities. They were subsequently headed towards their hometown in Mehsana district.

“The abductors have reportedly been found to be from the Baba Khan network. The matter is currently being investigated,” Gehlot said.

The trio had 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 the Langhnaj police.

According to the police complaint, Mamta’s husband, Chiragkumar, had travelled to the US around six months earlier on a student visa. Mamta had reportedly made six unsuccessful attempts to obtain a US visa before the family approached intermediaries to arrange her travel through an illegal route.

Police said the family initially contacted a person identified as Jitubhai, who introduced them to Mehsana-based agent Alpesh Patel. Alpesh allegedly connected them with Bhargav Patel of Vadodara. The journey was reportedly arranged at a cost of 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 following the alleged abduction, but the ransom demand continued.

The families subsequently sought government intervention to secure their return.

The case comes amid several instances of Gujaratis attempting to reach the US through irregular migration routes. In January 2022, a family of four from Dingucha in Gandhinagar district died of cold while attempting to cross from Canada into the US. A Mehsana family drowned in the St Lawrence River in 2023 during a similar attempt, while in May 2025, a Mehsana family was among those aboard a boat that capsized off California while attempting to enter the US from Mexico.

Police are continuing to investigate the alleged abduction, ransom demand and the role of the intermediaries who arranged the journey.