Iran says he investigates “missing” Indian citizens on the way to Australia

The Iranian Embassy in India said it was investigating the case of three Indian citizens who had disappeared in Tehran earlier this month.

The men, all of whom are from the northern state of Pendjab, had a stop in Iran on May 1 and were on their way to Australia, where they were promised profitable jobs by a local travel agent.

Their families claim to have been abducted upon arrival by unknown men who now require a ransom of 5 million rupees ($ 63,000; £ 47,000).

Thursday, The Iranian Embassy said Of X, that he informs the Indian authorities of all the developments within the judiciary “and warns of the dangers of undertaking illegal immigration routes.

“Given the nature of this incident, Indian citizens are strongly advised not to be deceived by the promises of unauthorized persons or illegal Indian agencies offering trips to other countries,” the statement said.

The statement came a day after the Indian Embassy in Iran said “has” strongly borrowed this issue with the Iranian authorities “and demanded that the missing Indians be” urgently traced and their safety “.

Many Indians, especially from Punjab, travel to developed countries in search of job opportunities and a better life.

Some are victims of fraud managed by travel agents who charge excessive fees and send them on illegal or dangerous routes, often without appropriate documentation.

Gourdip Kaur told the events that led to her 23-year-old son Amitpal Singh, who disappeared at BBC Punjabi.

The family had hired a travel agent in Hoshiarpur – where they live – to provide an Australian permission to work for their son.

“Last month, the agent informed us that my son’s visa was approved and asked for 1.8 million rupees as a payment,” she said.

“We were told they had booked a flight from Delhi to Australia on April 26. But when my son went there, they told him that his documents were not ready yet.”

The agent then told Amitpal that they had rewritten him on April 29, but later claims that even this ticket had been canceled.

On May 1, the agent placed Amitpal, along with the two other men, on a flight to Iran, describing him as a stop on the way to Australia, said Guza Kaur.

After landing, Amitpal called his mother to say that he had arrived safely and that a taxi was about to take them to a hotel before their next flight.

But an hour later, Dja Kaur said her son called again, this time to say he was abducted.

Before she could get any details, the call was shortened and her son became unattainable.

D -Ja Kaur said the family tried to contact the three agents in Punjab – they first gave them “unclear answers” and then disappeared. The next day, the family found that their homes and offices were locked.

D -Ja Kaur said they started receiving video calls from unknown men at the same time.

During the call, Dja Kaur claims that the kidnappers would show Amitpal and the two other men who kept hostages in one room. They had injuries all over their body from residence, she claims.

At first, they asked for 20 million rupees, but in the end they reduced the amount by settling at 5.4 million rupees, said Guza Kaur.

“But it has been more than 10 days since we last weard from them,” said Gourdev Singh, Ambal’s uncle. The family has not paid ransom so far.

Since then, a police complaint has been filed against travel agents and an investigation has been conducted.

“The search for the three men is included. They are in motion, but we are conducting searches,” a police officer at Hoshiarpur told the BBC Punjabi Singh.

Meanwhile, about 150 km (93 miles), in the village of Dhuri, the house of Husantpret Singh, one of the other missing men, remains locked.

He lived there with his maternal grandmother, who is now busy walking to her relatives, asking them for help.

The Indian Embassy in Tehran said it supports families informed about all developments.

India recently strengthened its repression on travel agents participating in illegal immigration, especially after Hundreds of undocumented Indians have been deported from the United States After President Donald Trump took office for a second term.

The images of these migrants in chains descending from an American plane had been headed for weeks.

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