The trio—Mamata Chavda, 30, and cousins Rithvik Jansari, 23, and Mayuri Solanki, 27—left Mehsana on 20 September, believing a smuggling link would bring them to America. They paid Rs 70 lakh upfront to Alpesh Panchal, who promised an unconventional route.
The itinerary began in Gojariya, then Jaipur, where an Etihad flight carried them to Abu Dhabi before a connecting flight to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. In Ethiopia, the three stayed at the GSF Camp on Swaziland Street under a one‑month e‑visa.
A call from Mamata on 22 September claimed they had arrived safely in Canada, but all phones were immediately switched off, and contact vanished. Three days later, an unknown caller—identifying only as "Khan"—threatened that the trio were kidnapped and demanded Rs 1 crore for release.
Mamata’s father, Kiritbhai Chauhan, pressed the government for intervention, citing the family’s financial ruin after paying tens of lakhs to the smuggling network. Panchal later asserted the trio never reached Canada and was himself a victim of the kidnappers, claiming he had paid Rs 60 lakh to them.
Langhnaj police have opened a full investigation, interrogating the agents, tracking the ransom call, and attempting to locate the three missing. The case is now slated for a judicial hearing next month, while the family awaits a response from authorities.