Latest news with #IndianMission
Indian Express
28-05-2025
- Indian Express
3 Punjab men go missing in Iran, families allege kidnapping by human traffickers
Three young men from Punjab who were meant to travel to Australia have reportedly gone missing in Iran, with their families now alleging that they were kidnapped by a network of Pakistan-based human traffickers. The missing youth have been identified as Amritpal Singh, 23, from Bhagowal Luda in Hoshiarpur; Jaspal Singh, from Langroya in Nawanshehar (Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar); and Husanpreet Singh, 27, from Sanagatpura in Dhuri, Sangrur. Punjab Police have booked two Hoshiarpur-based travel agents, brothers Dheeraj Atwal and Kamal Atwal of Piplanwala, and their employee, Saavita Soya, under various sections of the law, including 143, 318(4), 61(2) BNS, and Section 13 of the Punjab Travel Professional Regulation Act. The families said the three left for Australia via Iran but have been untraceable since mid-May. Their last known contact was through a series of video calls from May 11 to 17, during which they appeared bloodied and distressed, pleading for help. Ashok Kumar, the elder brother of Jaspal Singh, told The Indian Express that the families had collectively paid over ₹19 lakh to the agents. 'Jaspal was first taken to Dubai on April 1 and kept there for a month. Amritpal and Husanpreet also joined him in Dubai on April 25 after paying the full amount. They were then flown to Tehran in early May on separate flights,' he said. Once in Tehran, unknown individuals approached them, claiming to have been sent by the Indian agent and showed them photos as 'proof.' They were taken away in a taxi, only to later reveal that they had been kidnapped. The families were ordered to pay ₹18 lakh each in ransom to bank accounts in Pakistan. 'My brother and the others were stripped and showed deep wounds on their bodies in the videos. They were terrified,' Ashok said, adding that Jaspal is married and has two young sons. Manpreet Singh, cousin of Husanpreet, described the family's desperate efforts. 'His father died years ago, his mother is elderly, and he was the sole breadwinner. We all pitched in to send him to Australia, but now he's trapped in Iran,' he said. The families said they repeatedly contacted the Hoshiarpur-based agents, who assured them of the youths' safety but then switched off their phones and shuttered their offices by May 3. Since then, the only communication has been terrifying video calls from the captors, demanding the ransom. Gurdeep Kaur, mother of Amritpal Singh, recounted how payments were made in stages, including ₹1 lakh in cash and ₹40,000 via Google Pay, totaling ₹18 lakh. 'We own less than an acre of land. I work as a tailor, and my husband, who had returned from Dubai, is unemployed,' she said. The families have turned to local politicians and the police for help. An FIR was finally registered on May 16 at the Model Town police station in Hoshiarpur. The Indian Mission in Tehran has also been alerted and is in touch with the families to investigate and locate the missing men. — India in Iran (@India_in_Iran) May 28, 2025 'We have no money left. We only want our sons back. Who will bring them home?' said Gurdeep Kaur, holding a photograph of Amritpal, who had just completed his Plus Two and dreamed of a new life in Australia.
RNZ News
12-05-2025
- Politics
- RNZ News
India consular delays caused by errors related to application payments
Indian High Commissioner to New Zealand Neeta Bhushan has rebuffed criticism on social media regarding delays in consular services provided by the Indian mission in Wellington and the new consulate general in Auckland . Kiwi Indians have been increasingly critical on social media of delays they have encountered in receiving consular services such as passport renewals and visa applications in recent months, especially if refunds were involved. Speaking at an event in Auckland on Friday to welcome Indian Minister of State for External Affairs Pabitra Margherita, Bhushan said many applicants in the top of the North Island were mistakenly sending fees accompanying their applications to Wellington. "We are facing a major problem in providing timely and efficient services," Bhushan said. "There are a large number of applicants living in Northland, Auckland and Waikato who should send their applications along with the relevant fees to the consulate general in Auckland, but they are not doing that. "While they send their applications to the consulate in Auckland, they send the fees to the Wellington mission. "Later they realise their mistake and ask for refunds. ... We have no problem in doing that - it's our duty - but it delays the entire process. Neeta Bhushan is India's high commissioner to New Zealand. Photo: RNZ / Blessen Tom Bhushan said about half of her staff's time was being spent on processing refunds. "In the last month alone, we have refunded about $100,000 to applicants. If you add the last three [or] four months, the amount of refunds we have issued would cross $400,000," she said. "More than that, we are not able to provide timely services to those applicants." As reported earlier, the Indian consulate in Auckland offers services related to passports, Indian citizenship, attestation of documents, police certificates, birth and death certificates, liquor permits and non-resident Indian certificates, among other things. It also issues necessary certificates for the repatriation of deceased individuals' remains or ashes to India. The consulate's jurisdiction covers Auckland, Northland and Waikato. Madan Mohan Sethi, consulate general of India in Auckland, said the situation would improve once his office was fully staffed in a few months. "All efforts are being made to streamline the processes at our end," Sethi said. "We aim to start providing all consular services here in Auckland soon, including OCI [Overseas Citizen of India] and visa services." Pabitra Margherita is India's minister of state for external affairs. Photo: RNZ / Blessen Tom Margherita told attendees at the community event on Friday that he was delighted to see the Indian community's positive contributions to New Zealand. "It is heartening to see that our community here has been an integral part of the social fabric of this beautiful country," he said. "Your dedication and hard work have not only uplifted you and your families but also have added immense value to broader New Zealand society," he said. "India and New Zealand share a deep, multifaceted and friendly relationship." The Indian minister met Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Trade Minister Todd McClay during his three-day visit. He also spoke with Prime Minister Christopher Luxon on the sidelines of a summit organised by the India New Zealand Business Council on Friday morning . The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade provided some detail on the talks between Peters and Margherita in a social media post on Friday. The two ministers discussed the progress made in the India-New Zealand relationship across a wide range of sectors, including a "broad-based agenda for bilateral security and economic cooperation", the ministry said. "[They discussed] achieving a mutually beneficial outcome to free trade agreement negotiations, our shared interests in the Indo-Pacific, the terrorist attack in Kashmir and New Zealand's support for de-escalation between India and Pakistan, and the Pacific Islands region."
