Three Gujarat residents who went missing in Ethiopia while trying to reach the US using an illegal ‘dunki’ route have safely returned to India. The trio, identified as Rutvik Jansari, Mamta Chavda, and Mayuri, arrived at Mumbai airport early Thursday morning and are on their way back to their home district of Mehsana.
A man named Jitubhai introduced the family to Mehsana-based agent Alpesh Patel. The decision followed Mamta Chavda’s unsuccessful attempts to secure a US visa. Seeking an alternative, the family approached intermediaries to organise the travel. Many handlers were involved in the network. Patel then connected them with Bhargav Patel of Vadodara. Similar incidents have also taken place in the past.
The group had departed Gujarat on September 20 after paying agents tens of lakhs of rupees to arrange their journey to the United States through the illegal route. They asked for Rs 75 lakh per person. The family paid Rs 70 lakh per person. Soon, an individual identifying himself as Khan contacted the family, claiming the three had been taken captive and demanding a ransom of Rs 1 crore. Rutvik’s grandfather, Kanubhai Jansari, stated that Rs 60 lakh was paid. A family froze to death near the Canada border in January 2022, and another drowned in the St Lawrence River in 2023.
She faced six rejections while trying to join her husband, Chiragkumar, who had moved to the US six months earlier on a student visa.
