The embassy stated that it is maintaining close contact with the families and keeping them regularly updated about the steps being taken….reports Asian Lite News
The Indian government has urged Iranian authorities to urgently locate and ensure the safety of three Indian citizens from Punjab who have been missing in Iran since early May, under what appears to be a case of human trafficking and kidnapping for ransom.
The Indian Embassy in Tehran confirmed on Wednesday that the missing individuals — Hushanpreet Singh from Sangrur, Jaspal Singh from Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar, and Amritpal Singh from Hoshiarpur — had reportedly travelled to Iran via Dubai on May 1. According to statements from the victims’ families, the three men were lured by an agent from Punjab who promised to facilitate their journey to Australia using a Dubai-Iran route.
However, shortly after arriving in Tehran, the families lost direct contact with them. Days later, they received a harrowing video showing the three men bound tightly in yellow ropes, with visible injuries and blood trickling from their arms. In the video, their captors demanded a ransom of ₹1 crore, threatening to kill the men if the money was not paid.
In an official statement shared on X (formerly Twitter), the Indian Embassy in Iran said: “Family members of 3 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.”
The embassy also stated that it is maintaining close contact with the families and keeping them regularly updated about the steps being taken.
Family members say they were able to speak to the abducted men using the kidnappers’ phones up until May 11, after which all communication ceased. The sudden silence has intensified their fears about the men’s well-being.
Back in Punjab, the agent who allegedly orchestrated their travel has gone missing. A formal police complaint (FIR) was lodged against him on May 16 in Hoshiarpur, and state authorities are now probing the case as a possible human trafficking and kidnapping racket.
The episode has once again highlighted the perils of illegal migration routes and the growing risk of exploitation by agents who promise overseas opportunities but expose vulnerable individuals to criminal networks abroad. Indian authorities are continuing diplomatic efforts to press Iran for swift action to locate and rescue the missing men.
