Two from Anand ‘trafficked’ to Azerbaijan safe in embassy

Vadodara: A man from Jhankhariya village and a woman from Vasad in Anand district, who were allegedly trafficked and held hostage in Azerbaijan after being lured abroad by Mumbai-based agents, are now safe at the Indian embassy there, Anand MP Mitesh Patel said on Tuesday.Addressing media persons, Patel said the two were provided safety within 24 hours of the matter being taken up with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).
The victims, identified as Dhruv Patel and Dipika Patel, were allegedly duped by agents who promised to send them to the US via Canada. Their families earlier alleged extortion, physical assault, and threats of organ trafficking, claiming that a total ransom of Rs 65 lakh was paid, partly in cryptocurrency.Patel said that after their parents approached him, he met external affairs minister S Jaishankar and senior MEA officials in New Delhi on Monday during the ongoing Parliament session. "Thanks to the prompt intervention by the MEA, action was taken swiftly, and the victims were traced and provided protection," he said.According to a detailed representation submitted earlier by the MP to the Union Home Ministry, MEA, and Indian missions abroad, the two left Vadodara for Delhi on Jan 30 on separate flights and stayed at a Mahipalpur hotel arranged by the agents. On Febr 1, they flew from Delhi to Baku on an Azerbaijan Airlines flight.Upon arrival, their mobile phones were allegedly switched off on the agents' instructions. The families later received video calls showing Dhruv being assaulted and were allegedly threatened with dire consequences if ransom was not paid.The representation stated that Dhruv's family paid Rs 35 lakh in cash to the original agent in Mumbai and Rs 15 lakh in USDT cryptocurrency to a suspected handler, while Dipika's family paid another Rs 15 lakh in cryptocurrency.On the complaint lodged by the family members of the victims, theAnand Town police registered an FIR against five persons and handed over the probe to the local crime branch (LCB). Efforts are under way to trace and arrest the Mumbai-based agents involved in the alleged trafficking racket.Patel appealed to youths not to fall prey to illegal travel agents promising overseas migration through unofficial routes.