Two people from Gujarat’s Anand district set out on what they hoped would be a journey to the United States, but their dream turned into a nightmare in Azerbaijan. The pair, 22-year-old Dhruv Patel and 32-year-old Deepika Patel, were kidnapped, tortured, and threatened with having their organs sold before they were rescued in a swift Indian operation.
Reports say that, Dhruv and Deepika both come from Kanthariya village in Anand. Their plan began on January 30 in Gujarat, when they travelled from Anand to Vadodara and then to Delhi. There they met a Mumbai-based agent who promised to help them reach the US using the illegal “donkey route” a dangerous path that crosses many countries and forests to reach America without proper visas. Dhruv paid about Rs 35 lakh to the agent, while Deepika paid around Rs 15 lakh for the journey that began from Gujarat.
Ransom and organ threat against the Gujarat couple
The pair landed in Baku on February 1, the capital of Azerbaijan. However, soon after they arrived, their phones were turned off at the agent’s instructions. As per reports, the situation turned bad, within hours. The agent who was identified only as Pawan, began demanding more money and warned them not to contact the original agent back in India. When they refused to pay extra, the Gujarat couple were kidnapped and taken to a secluded house.
Inside that house, their situation got worse. Investigators say Dhruv was severely beaten. The kidnappers even forced the family to watch the torture over WhatsApp video calls. According to the family, the abductors threatened that if the ransom was not paid, they would remove and sell his kidneys. Their terrified families in Gujarat somehow gathered Rs 65 lakh, including about Rs 30 lakh in cryptocurrency, and sent it as ransom.
Swift rescue operation for the Gujarat couple
According to reports, when paying the money did not end the crisis the pair had landed in, the family in Gujarat turned to Anand MP Mitesh Patel for help. The MP contacted External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar in New Delhi to alert the government about the kidnapping. The Indian Embassy in Baku was informed, which launched a quick rescue mission codenamed “Operation Mahisagar.” Within 24 hours, both Dhruv and Deepika were located and brought safely under the embassy’s protection. Plans are now underway to bring them home to India.
MP Mitesh Patel described the case as “deeply disturbing.” He warned youth not to fall for illegal shortcuts abroad, saying, “Citizens should not fall prey to deadly shortcuts offered by fake agents.” Families in Anand are grateful that the government acted quickly, but the incident has raised alarm about the dangers of illegal migration networks.
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