Haryana Youth, On Way To Italy Via Donkey Route, Held Captive In Belarus

Kurukshetra: Yet another youth from Haryana, seeking a better future abroad, fell prey to fraudulent agents.

Rohit, from Pehowa town in Kurukshetra district, had set out via the donkey route to Italy to visit his brother, but was taken hostage by Pakistanis in the forests of Belarus.

Police said, Rohit was held hostage by his captors, who beat him and demanded ransom from his family. They then sent a video to Rohit's family in which he can be seen speaking in Punjabi, describing his plight. Masked men can be seen behind him in the video, threatening him. The family has been in fear and panic since the video surfaced, said police.

Rohit's father, Manoj Kumar, a taxi driver said, "We had struck a deal with local agent Vijay Sharma to send our son to Italy for over Rs 10 lakh. The agent assured us he would send him directly to Italy within a month. Rohit submitted his passport and documents on July 7 and was sent from Delhi to Dubai on September 21".

Manoj said, "We paid the agent a total of Rs 9 lakh of which Rs 1,00,000 was sent by bank transfer and the rest in cash. The agent said Rohit would reach Italy within a week, but a few days later, news came that he was stranded in Belarus."

Rohit appears terrified in the video sent to his family. "He claims he will be left to wander in the forest if the money isn't sent," Manoj said. Rohit's family members said out of fear, they first transferred USD 400 and then another USD 900 on Sunday. This money was sent from Italy by his elder brother, Aman. However, the hostages are still demanding USD 300 to release Rohit, his father said.

"We knew agent Vijay for a long time, so we trusted him. But now he is neither picking up the phone nor contacting us. We have filed a complaint with Kurukshetra SP's office," said Manoj.

Haryana Police spokesperson Naresh Kumar said, "The complaint has been received at the SP's office and has been forwarded to the relevant police station. The matter will be investigated, and strict action will be taken against the culprits."

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