Three Indians who had travelled to Iran – from Punjab’s Sangrur, Hoshiarpur and SBS Nagar – are missing, the Indian Embassy in Tehran has confirmed, adding that efforts are on to trace them “urgently”.
The three missing men have been identified as: Hushanpreet Singh (Sangrur), Jaspal Singh (SBS Nagar) and Amritpal Singh (Hoshiarpur). They all went missing on May 1, shortly after landing in Tehran.
“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 Indian Embassy said in a statement.
The Embassy added that it is “keeping the family members regularly updated” of the efforts being made by it.
An agent in Punjab had promised the three men to send them to Australia via the Dubai-Iran route. He reportedly assured them that they will be provided a stay in Iran. But soon after they landed in Iran on May 1, they were kidnapped.
The kidnappers, said the families, demanded a ransom of Rs 1 crore.
A video of the men tied up in yellow ropes and blood dripping from their arms was sent by the kidnappers, said the families. They threatened to kill the men if money was not sent, the families added.
The victims used to talk to their family members through the phones of the kidnappers. Since May 11, the families have not been in contact with them.
The agent from Hoshiarpur who sent the men abroad is reportedly missing.
