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Hindustan Times
a day ago
- Hindustan Times
3 abducted Punjab men rescued in Tehran, kin heave sigh of relief
The three Indian nationals from Punjab, who had gone missing in Iran last month after having been duped by a travel agency, have been rescued by the Tehran police, the Iranian Embassy in India has reported. In a post on X, it confirmed that the Tehran police have freed the missing Indians. The three men, Amritpal Singh, Jaspal Singh, and Hushanpreet Singh, hailing from Punjab's Hoshiarpur, Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar and Sangrur, had been abducted and held captive shortly after they had landed in Tehran on May 2. They had been promised a safe pathway to Australia via Iran by the travel agents. After hearing about their abduction from their wards and subsequent calls by the abductors for ransom, the families of the three men lost touch with them. They approached the Indian government for help after which the Indian Embassy in Iran had taken up the matter with its counterpart in Iran. The Iranian Embassy in India has stated that the case was pursued by the consular affairs department of Iran's ministry of foreign affairs. Bhagowal resident Amritpal spoke to his family on Tuesday and informed them about the safe rescue of all three. His uncle, Gurdev Singh, said the Iranian police officials made Amritpal call home from their phone. 'He has not divulged details but said that he was safe and was being taken for medical check-up. Let him come home safely and then our minds will rest', said village sarpanch and Amritpa's uncle Gurdev Singh. Amritpal said that the kidnappers had also been arrested and were in police custody. His mother Gurdip Kaur said that it was like a second birth for her son. 'It feels like I have got the ultimate happiness', she said. The family had reportedly paid ₹18 lakh to the travel agents to send Amritpal to Australia. The family of 33-year-old Jaspal Singh heaved a sigh of relief after they received information from the ministry of external affairs about his release early on Tuesday. Hailing from Langroya village, 3km from Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar district headquarters, Jaspal left home a month ago to reach Australia via Iran, knowing little that he along with two other Punjabi men were being trapped by aides of illegal travel agents. 'The past month remained most traumatic as we thought that we were talking to Jaspal for the last time every time the abductors showed him and other youth on the video call. The accused first demanded the ransom of ₹1 crore but later settled for ₹18 lakh,' said his relative, Balwinder Singh. He added that Jaspal had a brief conversation on Tuesday morning in which he said he was safe. 'We were told that the kidnappers had torn their passports and the authorities are trying to procure fresh passports for their safe return to India,' he said. His wife, Kuldeep Kaur, said she was relieved that her husband would return safely back to his family, including two daughters. 'We are thankful to the Government of India and the ministry of external affairs for concerted efforts for the rescue of my husband and two other missing men,' she added. Balwinder Kaur, the mother of Hushanpreet Singh, said: 'They have been rescued by the police. I spoke to my son on Tuesday evening, he said that due to the injuries, they are now in the hospital, it may take up to a week for his return.' Hushanpreet's father died two years ago. Ramesh Sharma, Hushanpreet's maternal uncle, said the family received a call on Monday from their son and his mates who were abducted. 'A police officer there allowed them to call and inform us,' he said. 'We received the call, in which the three said that police had rescued them safely from the abductors and that the accused Pakistani kidnappers were arrested,' said Sharma, adding that efforts of the external affairs ministry played a pivotal role in the release of the three for which they are thankful to PM Narendra Modi and external affairs minister S Jaishankar. A first information report (FIR) has been registered against the Hoshiarpur-based travel agent brothers and their woman accomplice at Model Town police station, but they continue to be at large. Hoshiarpur senior superintendent of police Sandeep Kumar Malik has constituted a special investigation team (SIT), headed by a deputy superintendent, to probe the case and arrest the accused.
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Business Standard
a day ago
- General
- Business Standard
India thanks Iran for rescuing 3 nationals kidnapped in south Tehran
India on Wednesday thanked Iran for safely rescuing its three nationals who went missing in the country last month, saying Tehran's support reflects the "true spirit of friendship" between the two nations. They were "freed in a police operation against the hostage takers in Varamin in south Tehran," the Tehran-based Tasnim news agency reported on Tuesday. "The 3 kidnapped Indian citizens have been safely rescued & are now under the care of the Embassy of India, which is facilitating their early repatriation," the Embassy of India in Iran posted on X. "We sincerely thank the Government of Iran for their swift and effective efforts in securing their release. Your support reflects the true spirit of friendship between our two nations," it added. The Iranian Embassy in New Delhi confirmed the recovery of Indian nationals on Tuesday. "Three missing Indian citizens freed by Tehran police," the Iranian embassy said in a post on X. Last week, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said it was in touch with the Iranian authorities over the missing Indians. The families of the three men from Punjab -- identified as Amritpal, Husanpreet Singh and Jaspal Singh -- claimed that they had left for Australia on the promise of jobs by travel agents but found themselves in Iran and were later "kidnapped" there. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Time of India
a day ago
- General
- Time of India
India thanks Iran for safely rescuing its 3 nationals
India expressed gratitude to Iran for the safe rescue of three Indian citizens. These citizens had gone missing in Iran last month. They were rescued in a police operation in south Tehran. The Indian Embassy is arranging their return. The MEA was in contact with Iranian authorities. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads India on Wednesday thanked Iran for safely rescuing its three nationals who went missing in the country last month, saying Tehran's support reflects the "true spirit of friendship" between the two were "freed in a police operation against the hostage takers in Varamin in south Tehran," the Tehran-based Tasnim news agency reported on Tuesday."The 3 kidnapped Indian citizens have been safely rescued & are now under the care of the Embassy of India, which is facilitating their early repatriation," the Embassy of India in Iran posted on X."We sincerely thank the Government of Iran for their swift and effective efforts in securing their release. Your support reflects the true spirit of friendship between our two nations," it Iranian Embassy in New Delhi confirmed the recovery of Indian nationals on Tuesday. "Three missing Indian citizens freed by Tehran police," the Iranian embassy said in a post on week, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said it was in touch with the Iranian authorities over the missing families of the three men from Punjab -- identified as Amritpal, Husanpreet Singh and Jaspal Singh -- claimed that they had left for Australia on the promise of jobs by travel agents but found themselves in Iran and were later "kidnapped" there. PTI
Hindustan Times
2 days ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
3 abducted Punjabi men rescued in Iran, families heave sigh of relief
The three Indian nationals from Punjab, who had gone missing in Iran last month after having been duped by a travel agency, have been rescued by the Tehran police, the Iranian Embassy in India has reported. In a post on X, it confirmed that the Tehran police have freed the missing Indians. The three men, Amritpal Singh, Jaspal Singh, and Hushanpreet Singh, hailing from Punjab's Hoshiarpur, Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar and Sangrur, had been abducted and held captive shortly after they had landed in Tehran on May 2. They had been promised a safe pathway to Australia via Iran by the travel agents. After hearing about their abduction from their wards and subsequent calls by the abductors for ransom, the families of the three men had lost touch with them. They had approached the Indian government for help after which the Indian Embassy in Iran had taken up the matter with its counterpart in Iran. The Iranian Embassy in India has stated that the case was pursued by the consular affairs department of Iran's ministry of foreign affairs. Amritpal spoke to his family on Tuesday and informed about the safe rescue of all the three. His uncle, Gurdev Singh, said the Iranian police officials made Amritpal call home from their phone. 'He has not divulged details but said that he was safe and was being taken for medical check-up', said Gurdev Singh. Amritpal said that the kidnappers had also been arrested and were in police custody. The family of 33-year-old Jaspal Singh, who was abducted in Iran's Tehran, heaved a sigh of relief after the family received information from ministry of external affairs about his release early on Tuesday. Hailing from Langroya village, 3km from Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar district headquarters, Jaspal left home a month ago to reach Australia via Iran, knowing little that he along with two other Punjabi men were being trapped by aides of illegal travel agents. 'The past one month remained most traumatic as we thought that we were talking to Jaspal for the last time every time the abductors showed him and other youth on the video call. The accused first demanded the ransom of ₹1 crore but later settled for ₹18 lakh,' said his relative, Balwinder Singh. He added that Jaspal had a brief conversation on Tuesday morning in which he said he was safe. 'We were told that the kidnappers had torn their passports and the authorities are trying to procure fresh passports for their safe return to India,' he said. His wife, Kuldeep Kaur, said she was relieved that her husband would return safely back to his family, including two daughters. 'We are thankful to the Government of India and ministry of external affairs for concerted efforts for the rescue of my husband and two other missing men,' she added. Meanwhile, Balwinder Kaur, the mother of Hushanpreet Singh from Sangrur, said they came to know about the rescue from news channels. Ramesh Sharma, Hushanpreet's maternal uncle, said the family received a call on Monday from their son and his mates who were abducted. 'A police officer there allowed them to call and inform us,' he said. 'We received the call, in which the three said that police had rescued them safely from the abductors and that the accused Pakistani kidnappers were arrested,' said Sharma, adding that efforts of the external affairs ministry played a pivotal role in the release of the three for which they are thankful to PM Narendra Modi and external affairs minister S Jaishankar. A first information report (FIR) has been registered against the Hoshiarpur-based travel agent brothers and their woman accomplice at Model Town police station, but they continue to be at large. Hoshiarpur senior superintendent of police Sandeep Kumar Malik has constituted a special investigation team (SIT), headed by a deputy superintendent, to probe the case and arrest the accused.
Indian Express
2 days ago
- Business
- Indian Express
Families relieved as 3 Punjabi men trapped in Iran contact them after ‘rescue'; authorities yet to confirm
What began as a hopeful journey towards a brighter future in Australia turned into a nightmare involving deceit, kidnapping, and despair for three young men from Punjab. After nearly a month of anguish, their families received brief calls from Iran on Tuesday evening in which the three men – their voices cracking with emotion – assured them that they had been rescued. It was in April that Husanpreet Singh, 27, from Sanagatpura in Dhuri, Sangrur; Amritpal Singh, 23, from Bhagowal Luda in Hoshiarpur; and Jaspal Singh, 32, from Langroya in Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar, bid adieu to their loved ones and set out to fulfil their dream to move overseas. Husanpreet's cousin Manpreet Singh said, 'I received a call from an Iranian number at around 6 pm. It was Husanpreet. He only said, 'We are safe now. Indian authorities have rescued us and we are now being taken to the embassy.' Before I could ask more, the line went dead. We are still awaiting official confirmation, but at least we know he is alive.' Amritpal's cousin Yudhvir Singh said he had a similar conversation with Amritpal, adding that officials are yet to contact them. Gursahib Singh, Station House Officer (SHO), Model Town police station, Hoshiarpur, said they have not received any official communication about the rescue. The journey that went wrong With dreams of settling down in Australia, the three men left Punjab with the help of local travel agents. Each family paid a staggering Rs 18 lakh—much of it borrowed—to two Hoshiarpur-based agents, Dheeraj Atwal and Kamal Atwal. According to family members, the young men were flown to Dubai first and from there, they were misled into traveling to Tehran in Iran, with the promise that they would soon board a flight to Australia. However, instead of boarding a flight, they were intercepted by a group of men who claimed that they were sent by the agents. The trio was forcibly taken, stripped, beaten, and held captive. In the days that followed, their loved ones received disturbing video and audio calls. On May 11 and 17, the families received calls showing the men visibly injured and terrified. 'They were forced to tell us to pay Rs 18 lakh again. Their clothes were torn, and their faces had blood,' said Ashok Kumar, Gurdeep Singh's brother. The captors, allegedly linked to a Pakistan-based human trafficking network, demanded ransom payments into Pakistani bank accounts. The Punjab Police later registered a First Information Report (FIR) against the Atwal brothers and their associate, Saavita Soya, under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Punjab Travel Professions Regulation Act. Breakthrough After May 17, all communication ceased. The devastated families began approaching local politicians, police authorities, and the Ministry of External Affairs for help. 'I was losing hope. Days passed and there was nothing. I feared the worst,' said Gurdeep Kaur, Amritpal's mother, who has been stitching clothes to support her family after spending all their savings to send her son abroad. 'We were informed that they have been rescued, but they are still far from home and the Indian government has not released an official statement detailing the rescue. We want our son back. They have been through hell,' said Yudhvir, adding, 'We want justice. Those agents ruined our lives. They must not go free.' Meanwhile, pressure is mounting on the local police to apprehend the agents who are on the run. Their offices remain shuttered and mobile numbers switched off. Shady agents and transnational crime rings have lured hundreds of youths from the state with the promise of settling abroad. Many have sold land, taken loans, or pooled community resources, only to end up in detention centres or deserts. Earlier this year, around 127 Punjabis were among the 332 Indians initially deported by the United States in three batches in military aircraft that landed in Amritsar on February 5, 15, and 16. According to data compiled by officials in Punjab, the first batch of 31 deportees from the state (including a minor) had paid around Rs 4.95 crore to the agents.
