Mehsana (Gujarat): A couple from Gujarat’s Mehsana district and their three-year-old daughter were allegedly kidnapped in Libya and are being held for a ransom of Rs 2 crore while attempting to immigrate to Portugal, officials said on Saturday.

The victims, Kismatsinh Chavda, his wife Heenaben and their daughter Devanshi, belong to Badalpura village in Mehsana district. They were taken hostage in Benghazi city in the North African nation while en route to Portugal, where Chavda’s brother is settled, police said.

According to Mehsana Superintendent of Police Himanshu Solanki, the family had been travelling with the assistance of a Portugal-based agent with plans to permanently settle in the European country.

The family flew from Ahmedabad to Dubai on November 29 and was subsequently taken to Benghazi, Libya, where they were kidnapped, Solanki said.

“Chavda's brother is settled in Portugal, and he was travelling with the help of an agent based in Portugal. The family was travelling with the intention to settle there, and the agents involved in the case are not Indians,” Solanki said.

He added that the kidnappers have contacted the family’s relatives in Mehsana, demanding Rs 2 crore as ransom.

Mehsana Collector S K Prajapati said the victim’s family approached him on Friday, following which the matter was reported to higher authorities.

The district administration has informed the Gujarat government and the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) about the incident, Prajapati said. PTI