3 Indian nationals abducted in Iran, rescued by Tehran Police

Three Indian nationals, who were abducted in Iran last month, have been rescued by the Tehran police, the Iranian Embassy in India confirmed late on Tuesday night.

In a social media post on X, the embassy stated: “Three missing Indian citizens freed by Tehran police.”

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According to a news report, the Iranian Embassy shared in its post that ”the kidnapping of the three Indian citizens from Punjab was reported to Tehran Police on May 1”.

The three men – Jaspal Singh from Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar, Amritpal Singh from Hoshiarpur, and Hushanpreet Singh from Sangrur in Punjab – were offered lucrative jobs in Australia by a local travel agency.

However, upon their arrival in Tehran, they were abducted by human traffickers and taken to Varamin in South Tehran. Their kidnappers reportedly demanded Rs 1 crore in ransom from their families to release them.

The victims’ families in India alerted the authorities, following which the Indian government intervened and raised the issue with Iranian authorities.

In a press briefing last month, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said that they were in touch with Iranian authorities and that Tehran was cooperating in the matter.

“We are in daily touch with Iranian authorities and extending all possible help to the families. We’ve received good cooperation from Iran,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in the briefing on May 29.

After the Indian government’s intervention, the Tehran police launched an operation against the hostage takers in Varamin and safely rescued the Indian nationals.

The operation was executed by the local police in coordination with the consular affairs department of the Iranian Foreign Ministry and relevant judicial authorities.