Iran investigates case of 'missing' Indian nationals

The Iranian Embassy in India has said it is investigating the case of three Indian nationals who went missing in Tehran earlier this month.

The 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 said.

The 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 life.

Some fall victim to scams run by travel agents, who charge exorbitant fees and send them through illegal or unsafe routes, often without proper documentation.

Gurdeep 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 developments.

India 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 term.

Images of these migrants in chains, disembarking from an American aircraft, had made headlines for weeks.

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