2 arrested as Gujarat family held hostage in Bengal over ₹15 lakh ransom for fake passports

Five residents of Gujarat, including two minors, were rescued from illegal confinement in West Bengal’s Nadia district, where they were allegedly held for ransom after being promised travel to Canada. Police arrested two persons in connection with the case. The victims were found in a house in Kalyani, around 50 km from Kolkata.

According to police, the victims were identified as Yogesh Kumar Dabhi, his wife Kajalben, their son, two daughters, and Yogesh’s cousin. They had arrived in Kolkata in connection with a proposed trip to Canada and were in contact with a travel agency. The agency had allegedly assured them that passports and other travel documents would be arranged. The group initially stayed at a hotel near the Kolkata airport.

Police said that on June 26, the victims were moved from the hotel to a house on Lake Terrace Road. On July 3, they reportedly left the accommodation for the airport without informing their contact person, Vishal Patel. Patel later lodged a complaint at Rabindra Sarobar police station, stating that he had received a WhatsApp call from Yogesh claiming they had received boarding passes, without revealing their destination. After this call, there was no further contact.

Following investigation, all five individuals were located at a residence in Kalyani belonging to one of the accused, Sameer Das. Preliminary findings indicate that the accused had demanded ₹15 lakh from the victims for arranging fake passports and travel papers. When the victims refused to pay the amount, they were allegedly held against their will inside the house.

Sameer Das and another accused, Jogeshwar Kamat, were arrested under Indian Penal Code sections 127, 137, and 61 related to kidnapping and extortion. Police stated that the victims were held in confinement and ransom money had been extracted. Efforts are ongoing to identify and apprehend others involved in the case. Further investigation is underway.