New Delhi: Three youths from Punjab, on their way to Australia via the infamous ‘Dunki’ route are suspected to have been abducted in Iran. This has been confirmed by the Indian Embassy in Tehran.
Family members of the three have claimed that they received messages with photographs, showing the three with their hands tied behind their backs and injury marks all over the body. They have urged the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) to take up the matter with Iran.
The mother of one of the youths have claimed that they were abducted on May 1 and their captors have demanded ransom from the families.
The three are from the Sangrur, Hoshiarpur and Nawanshahr districts of Punjab. According to the mother of Husnpreet of Sangrur, they contacted an agent from Hoshiarpur who charged a lot of money to get them work permits in Australia. He sent them to Iran instead. The agent is missing.
The agent apparently told them that their stay in Iran is temporary and they would be taken to Australia in a few days. The abductors remained in touch with the families for the first few days but there has been no contact since May 11, the families said.
“Families of 3 Indians have informed the Embassy of India that their relatives are missing after having travelled to Iran. The Embassy has strongly taken up the matter with Iranian authorities, and requested that the missing Indians should be urgently traced, and their safety should be ensured,” the Indian Embassy in Tehran posted on X.
Family members of the three have also met ministers of the Punjab government and MPs from the state, seeking their safe return. Sources said that the agent’s role in the whole affair cannot be ruled out.
