Europe: A ransom demand of Rs 2 crore has been made for the kidnapping of Indian parents and a toddler in Libya during a migration attempt to Europe

Europe:  Officials claimed on Saturday that an Indian couple from Gujarat’s Mehsana district and their three-year-old daughter were reportedly kidnapped in Libya and that their captors are want ₹2 crore in ransom to free them. Kismatsinh Chavda, his wife Heenaben, and their daughter Devanshi, who lived in Badalpura village in Mehsana, have been identified as the victims. With Chavda’s brother already stationed in Portugal, the family was planning to settle there.

On November 29, the family took a plane from Ahmedabad to Dubai, according to Mehsana Superintendent of Police Himanshu Solanki. They were then allegedly transported, without their knowledge, to Benghazi, Libya, where the abduction is said to have occurred.

The family was traveling with the assistance of an agent in Portugal. The pair did not have a valid Portugal visa at the time of their trip, and Solanki said, “The agents involved in the case are not Indians.”

Demand for Ransom Made to Family Members The kidnappers reportedly called the family’s relatives in Mehsana and wanted Rs 2 crore for their release, according to Mehsana police. The victims are thought to be imprisoned in Benghazi, an eastern Libyan city plagued by protracted armed strife and turmoil.

Mehsana Collector SK Prajapati has been notified about the occurrence, according to Solanki. He continued by saying that the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and the Gujarat government have also been notified and are attempting to ensure the family’s safe return.

Examining the Illegal Migration Network
Because Libya is often a transit country for people trying to reach Europe via illicit methods, officials are looking into potential connections to illegal immigration and human trafficking networks. Authorities have reaffirmed their cautions against traveling abroad with unauthorized agents.

While discussions continue, family members in Gujarat are still in misery. They have been advised by the police not to speak with the kidnappers directly or pay them on their own.