Four Gujaratis on illegal route to Australia, abducted in Tehran for ransom

Ahmedabad: Four Gujaratis on their way to Australia, said to be illegally, are reported to have been kidnapped in Iran for Rs 2 crore ransom. The incident came to light after a local BJP MLA wrote to Union Home Minister Amit Shah asking to intervene.

According to the details, four people including a couple from Mansa taluka of Gandhinagar district were traveling to Australia. The agents took them to Delhi, Bangkok, Dubai and Tehran.

The four were allegedly kidnapped after they landed in Tehran few days ago. Their relatives back home came to know only after they received several video clips demanding ransom while torturing them in custody.

Local BJP MLA from Mansa, Jayanti Patel, on October 26, wrote a letter seeking help from Shah, who also hails from Mansa.

In his letter, the MLA has mentioned the incident and said that the woman and three men had boarded an Emirates flight from Delhi. The letter stated that the four were taken by taxi to an undisclosed location and are being held captive.

When contacted, he confirmed and said, "The four are from my constituency and that's why I have sought help. It is a very sensitive issue." The four have left from Delhi on October 19, flying on an Emirates flight.

According to relatives, the four were being subjected to severe torture, which was revealed in videos clips that the alleged kidnappers sent to the family members while asking for ransom. The purported video shows their hands and legs tied and being beaten mercilessly.

The victims are heard pleading for their lives. The kidnappers have also released a photo of the couple with their hands tied and mouths gagged.

In June 2023, a similar incident had come to light in Ahmedabad in which a couple was kidnapped in Tehran for ransom. They were on their way to enter the US illegally.

While they were released allegedly after paying Rs 15 lakh to the kidnappers and government's intervention, a police case in Ahmedabad against the agent revealed the couple had promised to paid Rs 1.5 crore once they reached the US.

The FIR stated that that Pankaj Patel and his wife Nisha, both 29 years old, were held hostage in Tehran by a Pakistani human trafficker. The police booked two agents identified as Pintubhai Goswami and Abhaybhai Jitendrabhai Raval, both residents of Ahmedabad.