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Indian Express
17 hours ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
‘We just want them home': Punjab families await return of their sons amid escalating Israel-Iran tensions
Amid an open conflict between Israel and Iran, a wave of fresh anxiety has swept through three villages in Punjab. The families of Husanpreet Singh (27), Amritpal Singh (23), and Jaspal Singh (32)— who were kidnapped in Iran while attempting to migrate to Australia — are clinging to hope, even as fears grow over their safe return from a region now gripped by military chaos. Even as the families said that they trust the Indian government, which has assured them of the men's safe return, their fears have intensified with Iran now embroiled in a full-blown tension. The three men, who hail from Sangrur, Hoshiarpur, and Shaheed Bhagat Singh (SBS) Nagar, were missing for weeks after falling victim to a transnational human trafficking ring. Having paid Rs 18 lakh each to travel agents based in Hoshiarpur who had promised a legal entry to Australia, their journey was derailed in Tehran, where they were kidnapped, beaten, and held for ransom. Manpreet Singh, cousin of 27-year-old Husanpreet Singh from Dhuri who received a phone call from an Iranian number on June 3, said, 'Can't explain in words, it was such a big relief when he first called saying he is safe now. He said that the Indian authorities have rescued them and they were now being taken to the embassy.' He started calling us daily after that saying that the formalities for their return were being completed. And now, with news of fresh tension, we are very worried.' Yudhvir Singh, cousin of 23-year-old Amritpal Singh said, 'We waited through silence, torture videos, and ransom threats. Now we wait through the Israel-Iran tension. They told us then that they are now safe,' he added. Ashok Kumar, brother of Jaspal Singh from SBS Nagar, added that Jaspal had told him last week that it would take at least a week for them to return. 'But now this conflict has added a new layer. We saw the news about how Israeli forces struck multiple Iranian facilities, and how Iran has responded with attacks on Israel,' he said. He added, 'Jaspal told us that due to their prolonged stay in Tehran after the kidnapping, new travel documents are being prepared. This process has caused delays; otherwise, they would have returned by now, as they were rescued by Iranian police on the evening of June 3. It has now been 10 days since their rescue.' What began in April as a dream migration quickly turned into a nightmare. After being flown to Dubai, the three were taken to Iran under a false promise of onward flights to Australia. There they were stripped, and tortured by captors allegedly linked to a Pakistan-based human trafficking syndicate.
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First Post
28-05-2025
- Politics
- First Post
3 Indians go missing from Iran, embassy 'strongly' urges Tehran to ‘trace and ensure their safety'
The Indian Embassy in Iran has said that three Indians have gone missing in Iran and the matter has been taken strongly with the country's authorities. read more The Indian Embassy in Iran has said that three Indian nationals have gone missing in Iran. In a post on X, the embassy said that it has 'strongly' taken up the matter with the Iranian authorities and requested that missing nationals be urgently traced and returned safely to their families. 'We are also keeping the family- members regularly updated of the efforts being made by the Embassy,' the embassy further said. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD While the embassy's statement did not identify the three missing Indians, NDTV reported that they are named Hushanpreet Singh from Punjab's Sangrur, Jaspal Singh from Punjab's SBS Nagar, and Amritpal Singh from Punjab's Hoshiarpur. The report further said that three men from Punjab went missing on May 1 shortly after arriving in Iranian capital Tehran.
Hindustan Times
28-05-2025
- Hindustan Times
Duped by travel agents, 3 Australia-bound Punjabi youngsters stuck in Iran
Duped by illegal travel agents, three Punjabi youngsters belonging to Hoshiarpur, Sangrur and Shaheed Bhagat Singh (SBS) Nagar, have been held captive in Iran allegedly by traffickers who are demanding hefty sums from their families for their release. In her complaint to the police, Bhagowal resident Gurdip Kaur said that Piplanwala-based agent brothers Dheeraj and Kamal Attwal lured her 23-year-old son, Amritpal Singh, with the promise of procuring a work permit visa to Australia and took ₹18 lakh in advance. On May 1, Amritpal and two other youngsters, Husanpreet Singh from Sangrur and Jaspal Singh from SBS Nagar, took the flight from Delhi international airport. Gurdip said that on May 2, her son called up to inform her that he had reached Iran from where he would be sent to Australia. 'An hour later, Amritpal called again and said that he and the other two youngsters had been held captive and the captors were demanding money saying they had not been paid by their agents,' Gurdip said. She said the accused made video calls from the phones of her son and the other two youngsters while mercilessly beating them. They want the three families to transfer ₹18 lakh each via money gram, she said. Gurdip said when her family approached the travel agents for help, they found they had fled their houses and their phones were switched off. On her complaint, a first information report (FIR) was registered at Model Town police station against the accused agents and one of their employees but so far no arrest has been made. Station house officer Gursahib Singh said that efforts were on to arrest the absconding agents.
The Print
25-04-2025
- Politics
- The Print
Mann govt changes Punjab Vigilance Bureau chief, 3rd time in less than 2 months
With this move, the AAP government has changed three vigilance bureau chiefs in less than two months. 1997 batch IPS officer Parmar was made vigilance bureau chief 26 March, replacing G Nageshwar Rao who too had stayed on the post for barely over a month. Rao, in turn, had replaced Varinder Kumar, who was appointed as VB chief in May 2022. 1994 batch IPS officer P K. Sinha, who is ADGP intelligence, had been given the additional charge of the vigilance bureau. Chandigarh: The Bhagwant Mann-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government Friday suspended vigilance bureau chief S.P.S Parmar along with two senior police officers for failing to nab two accused of an alleged scam at transport offices in Punjab. The two other suspended officers of the vigilance bureau are Assistant Inspector General, SAS Nagar, Swarandeep Singh, and Senior Superintendent of Police, Jalandhar, Harpreet Singh. Highly-placed sources in the Punjab Police told ThePrint that all these changes have been brought about on the behest of the AAP's Delhi leadership, which is closely monitoring the working of the state bureaucracy. Parmar, they said, was shifted for his team's inability to nab two officers, one of them a PCS officer, posted as regional transport officers (RTOs) who are on the run in corruption cases filed following state-wide raids conducted at transport authority offices. On 7 April, in a sweeping crackdown planned and executed by Parmar, VB had conducted surprise inspections at Regional Transport Authority (RTA) offices and driving test centers, leading to the arrest of 24 persons allegedly involved in bribery and malpractices. As many 16 FIRs were registered and authorities confiscated Rs 40,900 from middlemen who were extorting money from citizens seeking driving licenses, driving tests and other services. During the interrogation of the arrested persons, the names of senior officers, including those posted as RTOs, cropped up as alleged beneficiaries of the money being gathered by the agents from the public. Two weeks later, the secretary, transport department, gave sanction for the investigation and arrest of these officers. The sources said the investigation sanction was obtained after getting the office of the secretary transport Varun Roojam opened at midnight within hours of his being given the additional charge of secretary transport. Subsequently, VB arrested SBS Nagar assistant transport officer Ramandeep Singh Dhillon and booked Mohali and SBS Nagar RTOs Pardeep Singh and Ravinder Kumar Bansal. The SBS Nagar RTO is a 2023 batch PCS officer. Both Bansal and Singh are on the run, and the VB's inability to nab them in the four days following investigation sanction had led to suspension of Parmar. The same decision was made in the case of Swarandeep Singh and Harpreet Singh who headed the investigation in Mohali and SBS Nagar. Sources in the vigilance bureau added that the officers were dealt 'most unfairly' as expecting arrests in just four days of the investigation sanction did not warrant suspension. A VB spokesperson said the April 7 raids were carried out following numerous complaints received through the Chief Minister's Anti-Corruption Action Line. The operation targeted RTA officials and agents who were acting as intermediaries, charging illegal fees to expedite license processing or manipulate driving test results, the spokesperson added. Among those arrested was Sukhwinder Singh, a private agent from Mohali, who was caught red-handed accepting Rs 2,500 as part of a Rs 5,000 bribe to facilitate a driving license and ensure clearance of the test. In Fatehgarh Sahib, another agent, Paramjit Singh, was apprehended while taking Rs 5,000 for similar illegal services. He further informed that in Ludhiana, the Economic Offence Wing detained three individuals—Pankaj Arora alias Sunny, Deepak Kumar and Manish Kumar—for demanding bribes ranging from Rs 1,500 to Rs 3,500. The Ludhiana VB range also arrested two more agents, Taisiff Ahmed Ansari and Honey Arora, for allegedly charging Rs 7,000 and Rs 5,500 respectively to secure licenses. In Jalandhar, Mohit and Vijay Kumar were caught red handed accepting Rs 2,000 for fast-tracking driving test appointments. In Hoshiarpur, agent Ashok Kumar was arrested for taking Rs 5,000 to clear a driving test without proper trials. In Kapurthala, agent Sher Amrik Singh was held with Rs 12,000 in cash, the VB spokesperson said. Action was taken against RTA employees—Jatinder Singh, a Junior Assistant and Manish Kumar, a Data Entry Operator—along with two private agents, Kewal Krishan and Kamal Kumar, for their involvement in corrupt practices. Similar actions were taken against private agents and other individuals in Sangrur, Tarn Taran, Bathinda, and Gurdaspur. (Edited by Tony Rai) Also Read: By opposing farmers' stir, AAP is playing to the crowd in urban Punjab. But it's a slippery slope
