Gujarati youth goes missing on way to USA, unscrupulous agent under scanner

The youth had paid the travel agent Rs 1.15 crore for taking him to USA. As instructed by the agent, he reached Hyderabad and was to land in USA via Iran and Dubai. After departing from Hyderabad, he became unreachable, officials said.

Ahmedabad: A family based in Ahmedabad is running from pillar to post to know about their son, who went missing on way to USA. The hapless family has filed a police complaint alleging that their son was abducted when he was going from Hyderabad to USA via Iran and Dubai.

The family members said the youth left home in Krishna Nagar area of Ahmedabad on June 11 and went to Hyderabad from where the agent was supposed to take him to Iran. But, he was taken to some other place and was brutally beaten up there, they alleged. A video of the torture had also surfaced, family members said.

The youth had approached Gandhinagar's Sargasan based travel agent to take him to USA. He paid Rs 1.15 crore to the agent, who in exchange promised him a smooth passage to USA.

As per the agent's plan, the youth was asked to go to Hyderabad from where he was to be escorted by another person, who would take him to USA via Dubai and Iran. The family complained that they could not trace his whereabouts after he left Hyderabad. They apprehended that he may have got kidnapped in Iran.

A video recently surfaced where the youth was seen lying naked while someone was slashing his back with a blade. The youth, who was seen crying in pain as blood oozed out from his wounds, was heard asking for the money to be returned.

Police have initiated an investigation into the matter but they are yet to trace his whereabouts. The video reveals that he was abducted but his current location is unknown, police said. Also, the concerned agent has been brought under the scanner, officials added.

In-charge of Krishna Nagar police station AJ Chauhan said that the youth had made a deal with the agent to go to USA and it has been found out that he was in Hyderabad till June 11. "It appears that he might have been taken to Iran. But we are clueless about his current location. Investigations are on," Chouhan said.