Inside the Kutch Kidnapping That Ended in a ₹5.55 Crore Crypto Transfer

A week-long investigation by the East Kutch Police has uncovered one of the biggest kidnapping-for-ransom cases in the district, revealing that a transporter from Anjar was abducted and his Dubai-based brother was allegedly coerced into transferring USDT worth approximately ₹5.55 crore through a cryptocurrency transaction.

The case initially appeared to involve a ransom demand of ₹20 lakh, but police later discovered that the accused had secretly extracted a much larger amount from the victim's family overseas.

Victim released after ₹20 lakh demand, larger crypto ransom uncovered later

According to police, transporter Dilip Gokaldas Majethiya, a resident of Varsamedi village in Anjar, was allegedly abducted on July 21 after being lured by an acquaintance, Javed Abu Saycha, on the pretext of meeting another person.

Investigators said Majethiya was taken to a house in Gandhidham, tied up with plastic rope and assaulted while the kidnappers demanded ₹20 lakh. Although the accused did not collect the ₹20 lakh and later released him near Gandhidham, the case took a dramatic turn after the victim contacted his family.

Majethiya's brother, Naresh Majethiya, who lives in Dubai, informed him that the kidnappers had made a video call showing Dilip being assaulted and threatened to kill him unless a ransom was paid.

₹5.55 crore transferred through USDT

Police said the accused forced Naresh Majethiya to transfer 584,500 USDT, valued at around ₹5.55 crore, to a cryptocurrency wallet allegedly shared by the kidnappers.

The victim was reportedly unaware during his captivity that such a large ransom had already been paid by his brother.

Seven arrested, mastermind among three absconding

Following an investigation involving CCTV footage, technical surveillance and raids across East Kutch, Ahmedabad and other locations, police arrested seven accused:

• Harsh Kishor Sadadpuri
• Raj Deepak Dhanwani
• Ibrahim Jusab Buchad
• Jusab Buchad
• Shabbir Abu Saycha
• Laxman alias Lachhu Hemnani
• Sachin Vikas Anandani

Police also carried out a reconstruction of the crime with the arrested accused.

However, the alleged mastermind Javed Abu Saycha, along with Rizwan Husen Khicha and Sohil Jusab Buchad, remains absconding. Separate police teams have been formed to trace and arrest the three.

Police uncover international ransom angle

According to investigators, the international dimension of the case emerged only after the kidnapping complaint was registered at Gandhidham A Division Police Station. The video call made to the victim's brother in Dubai and the cryptocurrency transfer exposed a cross-border extortion racket.

Criminal antecedents under scrutiny

Police said several accused have previous criminal records. The absconding mastermind Javed Abu Saycha is reportedly booked in multiple cases, including assault, theft, damage to petroleum pipelines and destruction of public property. Other arrested accused also have previous cases registered against them, including offences under the Prohibition Act, cyber fraud and the Information Technology Act.

The investigation is continuing to trace the remaining accused and recover the ransom amount.