Latest news with #missingIndians
Khaleej Times
5 days ago
- Politics
- Khaleej Times
3 Indians who went missing in Iran after kidnapping rescued by police
Three Indian men who had gone missing in Iran have been rescued by Tehran police, the Iranian Embassy in India claimed on Tuesday. "Three missing Indian citizens freed by Tehran police. Local media in Iran say police have found and released three Indian men who had gone missing in Iran," the Iranian Embassy said in its X post. According to a report by Iran's Mehr News Agency (MNA), "The kidnapping of the three Indian men was reported to Tehran police on May 1." The three men, all from Punjab, had arrived in Iran on May 1 while on their way to Australia. A local travel company had promised them well-paying jobs in Australia. However, they went missing shortly after reaching Iran. The Iranian Embassy in India had earlier said on May 29 that the case was under investigation. The case of the three Indian nationals was being followed up by the consular affairs department of Iran's foreign ministry in coordination with relevant judicial authorities, MNA, citing the Embassy, said. Mehr News, citing another Tehran-based news agency, added that the three men were rescued in a police operation against their captors in Varamin, a town located in southern Tehran. Meanwhile, India also confirmed on May 29 that it was in touch with Iranian authorities to locate the three missing nationals and had received good cooperation from the Iranian side, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said. Addressing a press briefing, Jaiswal said, "We are extending all possible help to the family members of the three persons who are missing." When asked about the missing Indians and incidents involving ransom calls from Pakistan in recent months, he responded, "You would have seen a statement made by our embassy as well in Iran. The three Indian nationals who had landed there some time back are missing, and we are in touch with the Iranian authorities to locate them for their safety and security and eventual return home. We are in daily touch with the authorities there. We are receiving good cooperation from the Iranian side. And we are also in touch with the families. Obviously, family members in such situations have their own anxiety, etc. So, we are extending all possible help. Hopefully, we'll be able to do our best in this situation." Clarifying further, he added, "February was a different issue. What we are talking about are three Indian nationals who went to Iran recently in May." The Indian Embassy in Iran had said that the family members of the missing men informed them after the three went missing following their travel to Iran. In a statement on X, the Indian Embassy said, "Family members of three Indian citizens have informed the Embassy of India that their relatives are missing after having travelled to Iran. The embassy has strongly taken up this matter with the Iranian authorities, and requested that the missing Indians should be urgently traced and their safety should be ensured. We are also keeping the family members regularly updated of the efforts being made by the embassy."
BBC News
29-05-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Iran says it is investigating 'missing' Indian nationals en route to Australia
The Iranian Embassy in India has said it is investigating the case of three Indian nationals who went missing in Tehran earlier this men, all of whom are from the northern state of Punjab, had a stopover in Iran on 1 May, and were on their way to Australia, where they were promised lucrative jobs by a local travel agent. Their families allege that they were kidnapped upon their arrival by unknown men, who are now demanding a ransom of 5m rupees ($63,000; £47,000).On Thursday, the Iranian Embassy said on X that it was keeping Indian authorities informed of all developments "within the judicial system" and warned about the dangers of taking illegal immigration routes. "Given the nature of this incident, Indian citizens are strongly advised not to be deceived by the promises of unauthorised individuals or illegal Indian agencies offering travel to other countries," it statement came a day after the Indian embassy in Iran said that it had "strongly taken up this matter with Iranian authorities" and requested that the missing Indians be "urgently traced and their safety ensured".Many Indians, particularly from Punjab, travel to developed countries in search of job opportunities and a better fall victim to scams run by travel agents, who charge exorbitant fees and send them through illegal or unsafe routes, often without proper Kaur recounted the events that led to her 23-year-old son Amritpal Singh going missing to BBC Punjabi. The family had hired a travel agent in Hoshiarpur - where they live - to secure an Australian work permit for her son. "Last month, the agent informed us that my son's visa had been approved and asked for 1.8m rupees as payment," she said."They told us they had booked a flight from Delhi to Australia on 26 April. But when my son went there, they told him that his documents were still not ready." The agent then told Amritpal that they had rebooked him on a flight for 29 April, but later claimed that even that ticket got cancelled. On 1 May, the agent put Amritpal, along with the two other men, on a flight to Iran, describing it as a stopover en route to Australia, Ms Kaur said. After landing, Amritpal called his mum to say that he had arrived safely and that a cab was on its way to take them to a hotel, before their next flight. But an hour later, Ms Kaur said her son called again, this time to say that he had been kidnapped. Before she could get any details, the call got cut abruptly and her son became unreachable. Ms Kaur said that the family tried to contact the three agents in Punjab - they first gave them "vague responses" and then went missing. The next day, the family found that their homes and offices were locked. Ms Kaur said they began receiving video calls from unknown men around the same time. On the call, Ms Kaur alleged the kidnappers would show Amritpal and the two other men held hostage inside a room. They had injuries all over their body from being beaten up, she alleged. At first, they demanded 20mn rupees but eventually reduced the amount, settling at 5.4m rupees, Ms Kaur said. "But it has been more than 10 days days since we last heard from them," said Gurdev Singh, Amritpal's uncle. The family has not paid any ransom till now. A police complaint has since been filed against the travel agents and an investigation is under way."The search for the three men is on. They are on the run, but we are conducting searches," Gursahib Singh, an officer with Hoshiarpur police, told BBC Punjabi. Meanwhile, around 150km (93 miles) away, in Dhuri village, the house of Husanpreet Singh, one of the other missing men, remains locked. He lived there with his maternal grandmother, who is now busy going door-to-door to her relatives, asking them for help. The Indian embassy in Tehran has said it was keeping the families informed of all has recently intensified its crackdown on travel agents involved in illegal immigration, particularly after hundreds of undocumented Indians were deported from the US after President Donald Trump took office for a second of these migrants in chains, disembarking from an American aircraft, had made headlines for weeks. Follow BBC News India on Instagram, YouTube, Twitter and Facebook.
