Gujarat Family Kidnapped In Libya Linked To Portugal Route

An Indian couple from Gujarat and their three-year-old daughter are alleged to be held hostage in Libya, with kidnappers demanding ₹2 crore from relatives in India. Officials said the family was seized while attempting to reach Portugal through Libya using an overseas agent for their journey.

Authorities in Gujarat said relatives in Mehsana approached local officials after receiving ransom calls from the abductors. Mehsana Collector SK Prajapati said that the state government and the Ministry of External Affairs have been informed about the kidnapping, and information from the family is being gathered.

Officials confirm details of kidnapping in Libya involving Gujarat family

Mehsana Superintendent of Police Himanshu Solanki identified the kidnapped family as Kismatsinh Chavda, spouse Heenaben, and daughter Devanshi, aged three. The family belongs to Badalpura village in Mehsana district. The couple’s age has not been shared, but officials confirmed that the three were travelling together when they were taken.

According to Solanki, the family was on the way to Portugal, where Kismatsinh's brother lives, when the kidnapping in Libya took place. Relatives in Mehsana later received calls from unidentified persons, who claimed responsibility and allegedly demanded ₹2 crore for the safe release of the three family members.

Route to Portugal and agent link in kidnapping in Libya case

The journey started on 29 November, when the family boarded a flight from Ahmedabad to Dubai. From Dubai, they travelled onward to Benghazi in Libya. Officials said the kidnapping reportedly happened in or around Benghazi before they could move to their next transit point towards Europe.

The family intended to settle in Portugal and did not travel independently, police said. They were assisted by an agent based in Portugal, who arranged the route via Libya. Solanki clarified that the agent handling their travel is not Indian and operates from Portugal.

PTI quoted Solanki as saying, "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," highlighting the overseas link in the kidnapping in Libya episode.

After the abduction, relatives contacted Mehsana Collector SK Prajapati on 13 December, seeking official intervention. Prajapati then alerted higher authorities. Police said coordination is on with state officials and central agencies, while the Ministry of External Affairs has been updated about the kidnapping in Libya and the ransom demand.

The key travel details provided by officials are given below.

This kidnapping in Libya comes months after another case involving Indians abroad. In July, Ranjit Singh from Ramban district in Jammu and Kashmir was kidnapped in Niger’s Dosso region by unidentified gunmen while working at a construction site. Two other Indians were allegedly killed during that attack.

Niger’s local media then reported that unknown attackers struck an Army unit protecting a construction site around 130 kilometres from capital Niamey.