Gujarat High Court grants bail to ‘donkey route’ agent in Azerbaijan hostage case

The case had drawn widespread attention after two persons from Anand district – Dhruv Patel and Dipika Patel – were rescued from Azerbaijan after they were allegedly abducted during their journey towards the US. The two were not a couple but separate individuals who had undertaken the journey through the network of agents.

According to the police case, they were allegedly lured by agents with promises of taking them to the US through an irregular route. Their journey took them through Azerbaijan, where they were allegedly abducted and held hostage at an undisclosed location.

The police said the abductors allegedly assaulted and tortured the two and demanded ransom from their families. Around Rs 65 lakh was reportedly paid. The abductors had allegedly threatened to extract and sell the kidneys and other organs of the two if the ransom was not paid.

The case gained prominence after BJP Lok Sabha MP Mitesh Patel intervened in efforts to secure their rescue.

Following their return, the Anand Local Crime Branch tracked down three alleged agents – Gavit, Ketan Ramesh Soni and Daniel Baptist Monteiro – from different locations in Maharashtra. The police had alleged that the agents had taken substantial sums of money from those seeking to travel to the US through the ‘donkey route’.

‘No direct involvement’

The order noted that the applicant had received an advance amount of Rs 35 lakh from the complainant, Dhruv Patel’s father. It further recorded the prosecution allegation that Gavit acted as “an agent and a bridge between the main accused and the agents, who are on the run.”

However, while considering Gavit’s bail plea, the high court distinguished her alleged role in arranging the journey and the more serious allegations relating to what happened after the two travellers reached Azerbaijan. The order stated, “There is no direct involvement of the present applicant in connection with wrongful confinement, extortion, or ransom, as the present applicant has played the role of a visa agent and a middleman.”

The court also noted that Gavit had filed an affidavit “to show her bona fides”, stating that Rs 11.50 lakh had already been recovered during the investigation. For the remaining Rs 23.50 lakh, the court has directed Gavit to deposit the amount with the trial court in six equal monthly instalments. Failure to comply could result in the cancellation of her bail.

The court further considered that Gavit had been in custody since February 13, that the investigation was complete and the chargesheet had been filed, and that nothing remained to be recovered or discovered from her. It also recorded that she had no criminal antecedents and that none of the allegations against her was punishable with life imprisonment or death.

Another factor considered by the court was that the original complainant had filed an undertaking stating that he had no objection to Gavit being released on bail.

Gavit was ordered to be released on a personal bond of Rs 25,000 with one surety of the same amount. Apart from the Rs 23.50 lakh deposit condition, she has been directed not to leave Gujarat without the trial court’s permission, and to surrender her passport.