Ahmedabad,December 15: A couple from Gujarat’s Mehsana district and their three-year-old daughter have been kidnapped in Libya and are being held for a ransom of ₹2 crore while attempting to migrate to Portugal officials said on Saturday.
The victims have been identified as Kismatsinh Chavda, his wife Heenaben and their daughter Devanshi, residents of Badalpura village in Mehsana district. According to the police the family was abducted in Benghazi, Libya after being taken there with the help of a Portugal-based agent.
“Kismatsinh Chavda, his wife Heenaben and their daughter Devanshi were taken hostage in Benghazi after travelling through the country with the help of a Portugal-based agent,” Mehsana Superintendent of Police Himanshu Solanki said.
Solanki said the family had left Ahmedabad for Dubai on November 29 and was later taken to Libya as part of their journey to Europe. They were trying to relocate to Portugal to join Chavda’s brother, who is settled there.
“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,” he said.
The kidnappers have contacted the family’s relatives in Mehsana and demanded ₹2 crore for the release of the hostages, the police said. “The kidnappers have contacted the family members and demanded ₹2 crore as ransom,” Solanki added.
Mehsana Collector SK Prajapati said the victims’ relatives approached him on Friday following which the matter was conveyed to the Gujarat government and the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). He said local and central authorities are coordinating efforts to trace the family and ensure their safe return.
The issue has also been raised with the state and central governments by BJP MLA CJ Chavda, officials said.
