Four residents of Bapupura village in Gandhinagar’s Mansa taluka identified locally as Ajay, his wife Priya, Anil, and Nikhil were allegedly abducted in Tehran soon after landing there on a multi-leg journey arranged by agents who had promised to route them to Australia. Families in Gujarat say the group first traveled to Delhi and then flew on to Bangkok, Dubai, and finally Iran, before vanishing outside the Tehran airport.
The kidnappers, one of whom reportedly identified himself as “Baba,” contacted relatives in Gandhinagar demanding ₹2 crore for their release. A disturbing video shared with the families shows the four stripped, tied, and lying face down with visible injury marks, indicating they were assaulted. Relatives also claim that around ₹40 lakh has already been transferred under pressure following the ransom calls.
Mansa MLA Jayanti Patel has written to Union Home Minister Amit Shah seeking urgent central intervention, including coordination through Indian diplomatic channels, to locate and rescue the abducted villagers. Patel said the matter requires immediate action by central agencies and international partners, given that the victims were trafficked across multiple countries before reaching Iran.
Local accounts suggest the involvement of at least two intermediaries a neighborhood travel fixer and a Delhi-based agent—who allegedly facilitated the travel chain. While the local agent’s precise role is unclear, the Delhi contact is suspected of deeper links to the abduction network. Police and higher authorities are being urged to map the entire route, verify ticketing and hotel logs, and pursue the handlers who orchestrated the journey.
