Kaithal police arrest travel agent in youth’s kidnapping case in Guatemala, victim still held hostage

Vijender Kumar / TNN / Mar 19, 2025, 22:07 IST

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Kaithal police arrested travel agent Navjot alias Jodha for his role in a case where a youth, Yuvraj, was kidnapped at gunpoint in Guatemala. Navjot had promised to send Yuvraj to the US for Rs 41 lakh. After partial payments, Yuvraj was abducted, and kidnappers demanded $20,000. Despite ransom payments, Yuvraj remains captive. The accused is in five-day police remand for interrogation.

Kaithal police arrest travel agent in youth’s kidnapping case in Guatemala, victim still held hostage

Accused travel agent in police custody

KAITHAL: The Kaithal police have arrested a travel agent in a case where a youth was held hostage at gunpoint in Guatemala a few days back. The accused was presented in court on Tuesday, where the court granted a 5-day police remand for further interrogation.
The accused arrested by a team of ASI Mahender Singh associated with the economic cell, has been identified as Navjot alias Jodha, a native of Dusain village in Kaithal district.
The police spokesperson informed that based on the complaint of Kuldeep, a resident of village Mohna, he met Navjot Singh from Dusain village in June 2024. Navjot Singh claimed to be a registered travel agent and promised to send people directly to America. He convinced Kuldeep to send his son, Yuvraj, to America. They agreed on a sum of Rs 41 lakh for sending Yuvraj to America, with the condition that the entire amount would be paid once Yuvraj arrived in the US.
On October 13, 2024, Yuvraj was sent from India by plane. On October 17, the accused demanded Rs 16 lakh, which was paid. On December 19, they received a message on WhatsApp stating that Yuvraj had been kidnapped in Guatemala, along with a video of him being beaten. The kidnappers demanded $20,000 dollars for his release. When they contacted the agents, they were told that other criminals had kidnapped Yuvraj and that the money needed to be paid. Fearing for their son’s safety, they paid an additional Rs 8 lakh to the accused. A case was registered in the Pundri police station, he added.

However, the victim Yuvraj is still captive with the kidnappers in Guatemala, said police spokesperson.
Earlier Kuldeep Singh further had stated that the kidnappers sent a video showing Yuvraj and another youth from Hoshiarpur of Punjab, pleading for help. Both youths were shown in the video, with folded hands, begging their families for assistance as the kidnappers demand a ransom of $20,000.

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