The Indian Embassy in Tehran has reported that three Indian nationals are missing in Iran and that it has “strongly taken up the matter with Iranian authorities.”
In a statement on X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday (May 28), the Indian Embassy stated that it was alerted by the family of the missing individuals.
“Family members of 3 Indian citizens have informed the Embassy of India that their relatives are missing after having traveled 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 statement read.
“We are also keeping the family members regularly updated of the efforts being made by the Embassy,” it added.
While the embassy has not officially identified the missing individuals or specified the circumstances of their disappearance, a media report has named the trio, and quoted a relative as saying that the men may have been kidnapped.
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Punjab link
As per a report by The New Indian Express, the three men hail from Punjab and were identified as Hushanpreet Singh from Sangrur, Jaspal Singh from SBS Nagar, and Amritpal Singh from Hoshiarpur. The trio reportedly went missing on May 1 shortly after landing in Tehran.
The report also suggested the possibility of the men being kidnapped. Hushanpreet Singh’s mother alleged that her son and the two others were misled with promises of work permits for Australia but were instead taken to Iran.
She claimed that the men were abducted shortly after their arrival and that the family was later contacted by the kidnappers, who demanded a ransom.
The family reportedly received a video showing the three men bound with yellow ropes and with visible injuries. The kidnappers allegedly threatened to kill them if the ransom was not paid, the report stated.
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Suspected agent absconding
The families of the missing men also accused a travel agent based in Hoshiarpur of orchestrating the plan and have filed a complaint against him. The agent who reportedly collected money from the victims with false promises is now missing.
The men were initially allowed to speak to their families using the captors’ phones but all communication ceased after May 11.
The Indian Embassy has assured that it is making every effort to trace the individuals and remains in touch with the families with updates.
