15 trafficked from Gujarat: In Ahmedabad, police raided the home of a fugitive accused

Days after police rescued 15 Gujaratis from Kolkata and New Delhi after they were allegedly held captive for over two months by a suspected human trafficking gang who promised to take them to the United States and Canada, the Gandhinagar Police searched the accused gang's apartment in Gota, Ahmedabad.

According to authorities, on Tuesday night, a squad from the Mansa Police Station in Gandhinagar raided Sushil Roy and Santosh Roy's rented flat in Godrej Garden society in Gota, Ahmedabad.

Sushil and Santosh are two of the accused who contacted families in Mehsana, Ahmedabad, and Gandhinagar, promising to take them illegally to the United States and Canada, and then kidnap them.

"The two accused were living in Ahmedabad for the past 5-6 years in a rented flat at Godrej Garden society. A team raided the residence on Tuesday night in which documents and a laptop of the accused containing evidence were seized. Further investigation is on in the case," said Rajbha Parmar, police inspector, Mansa Police Station.

Initially, police in Gandhinagar and Mehsana filed two FIRs against the accused group in the case.

On Wednesday, a third FIR was registered against the accused gang at the Ahmedabad Detection of Crime Branch (DCB) police station at the request of Meet Patel (22), a resident of Nava Naroda in Ahmedabad, who was extorted for Rs 46 lakh by the group after being held in illegal imprisonment for two months.

After being rescued from various hotels in Delhi and Kolkata by Gujarat Police and the Special Cell of the Delhi Police, 15 people, including three children, returned to Gandhinagar on Sunday morning.

The 15 people set out from Mehsana, Gandhinagar, and Ahmedabad in November last year, following a trafficker's gang's plan, and arrived in Kolkata through Mumbai.

However, they were allegedly unjustly detained and tortured for two months in Kolkata by the accused group for extortion. According to the authorities, almost Rs 3 crore was extorted from the families of the kidnapped victims.

Rajesh Patel, a local agent from Ahmedabad, was also arrested after contacting the victims. Sushil Roy, Santosh Roy, and Kamal Singhania, three more suspects, are now on the run.

"A court on Tuesday had granted police remand of Rajesh Patel till February 24," added Parmar.