Anand (Gujarat): The three agents, accused of luring a couple from Anand in Gujarat to take the infamous ‘Dunki’ route to the US via Azerbaijan, have been arrested in Mumbai.
Dhruv and Dipika Patel were abducted soon after they reached Azerbaijan. They were held hostage in a dungeon-like place and tortured. The kidnappers contacted their families in Gujarat and demanded ransom. They threatened to extract the kidneys of the two and sell them if money is not paid.
The families arranged nearly Rs 65 lakh in cash and crypto and paid the abductors. Meanwhile, Lok Sabha MP Mitesh Patel took up the matter with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). The two were finally rescued in Azerbaijan.
The three agents arrested from Mumbai have been identified as Mamta Jitesh Gavit (49), Ketan Ramesh Soni (54), and Daniel Baptist Monteiro (49). Senior police officials told The Indian Express that a team of the crime branch had been sent to Mumbai after tracking down the agents through human and technical sources.
“The team laid in wait for the accused for two days in Mumbai. They were nabbed from Thane, Dahisar and Andheri areas of Mumbai… The couple had come in contact with them through other agents, none of whom were from Anand. We have begun interrogation of the accused,” the official said.
According to the police, the three accused agents had also taken a lump sum amount “running into lakhs” from the couple in order to send them to the US through the ‘dunki route’.
They are now being interrogated to gather more information about the whole racket.
