When Pankaj Patel and his pregnant wife Nisha left Ahmedabad on June 2, they thought they were heading to a new life in the United States, albeit through an illegal multi-country route. Instead, the couple was held captive in Iran allegedly by a Pakistani agent, and were only freed after paying a ransom of ₹15 lakh and through the intervention of the Ministry of External Affairs and the Gujarat government. The couple returned to Ahmedabad on Wednesday evening.
The Ahmedabad police have detained two agents, Pintu Goswami and Abhay Raval, on charges of kidnapping and fraud. A team from the city’s crime branch is also heading to Hyderabad to apprehend the alleged mastermind of this illegal immigration operation, an agent known as Shakil.
‘Human trafficking’
“An FIR was lodged on Tuesday and two agents have been detained and are being investigated. It appears that the couple was kidnapped midway by a Pakistani human trafficking agent,” a police official said, adding that such agents have sprawling networks to trap people who are desperate enough to take the illegal route to reach the U.S.
According to the seven-page FIR, Mr. Patel, an employee of a private telecom company, came in contact with the agent Mr. Raval, who promised to send him and his wife to the U.S. on the payment of ₹1.15 crore. Having agreed, Mr. Patel informed his family, who supported him and borrowed money from relatives and decided to sell their house to help the couple.
Multi-nation route
“On June 2, the couple left for Hyderabad where they met another agent Shakil, who got them visa to Iraq after 10 days. On June 12, the couple left for Iran with another agent named Muniruddin Sidiqqui,” stated the FIR. Agents had promised that from Iran, they would travel to Mexico and illegally cross the U.S. border from there. However, as soon as they reached Teheran, they were taken to a hotel by a Pakistani agent who allegedly abducted them as hostages for ransom.
According to sources, the couple were flown from Hyderabad to either Teheran or Azerbaijan. From there, a disturbing video footage was shared with their family back in Ahmedabad, in which Mr. Patel’s back was being stabbed. In a choked voice, he was heard saying, ‘Give whatever money they [agents] are asking’.
Ransom paid
The video footage was shared with Ahmedabad police and Gujarat’s Minister of State for Home Harsh Sanghavi, who promptly intervened and got the couple released, while local agent Bharat Raval allegedly transferred ₹15 lakh as ransom. However, before the intervention came through, the family of the couple had to pay ₹15 lakh to the agents through online transactions.
According to the FIR, it was the Pakistani agent who recorded the video and audio footage and sent clippings of Mr. Patel getting beaten up and seeking help to his friends and family in Ahmedabad, to pressurise them for ransom. Local agent Mr. Bharat Raval allegedly transferred the money to the kidnapper, and subsequently the couple was released late on June 19.
Mr. Sanghavi informed MEA authorities, who contacted the couple and helped them fly back to Ahmedabad on Wednesday evening, sources said.
Over the last 15 months, almost nine people from Gujarat who have attempted to enter the USA illegally, have died.
