Officials rule out ‘spy angle’ in disappearance of 3 Indians in Iran

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Days after three Indian nationals have been reported missing in Iran, officials in New Delhi, for now, have ruled out a link of these three to any spying activity.Hushanpreet Singh from Sangrur, Jaspal Singh from SBS Nagar and Amritpal Singh from Hoshiarpur in Punjab had gone missing shortly after arriving in Tehran on May 1.

Official sources said the three men “in any case are not spies” and maintained that “it is just that their travel agents have duped them”.

Separately, in March 2016, Indian national Commander Kulbhushan Jadhav (retd) disappeared from Iran. The government said he was kidnapped from Iran and illegally transferred to Pakistan. Jadhav was said to be running a business in Iran after his retirement from Navy. Pakistan had claimed that Jadhav was arrested in Balochistan for alleged spying.

Today, India said it was working closely with thr Iranian authorities to locate the three men, with efforts underway to ensure their safe and early return.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal confirmed ongoing coordination, stating, “We are trying to locate them, for their safety, security and eventual return home.”

“We are in daily touch with the authorities in Iran. We are receiving good cooperation from the Iranian side and are also in contact with the families,” he added.

Earlier, Iran had said it was investigating the disappearance of the three Indian nationals. Tehran had also urged caution against falling prey to illegal travel agents.

In a statement, the Iranian embassy in New Delhi said, "The case concerning the disappearance of the three Indian nationals is being followed up by the Consular Affairs Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran in coordination with the relevant judicial authorities."

The Indian Embassy in Tehran had raised the matter on Wednesday, stating it had received information from the families of the missing individuals.

"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 mission said in a post on X.

In response, the Iranian embassy said the Indian mission in Tehran was being kept informed of updates through official channels. It also issued a warning: "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."

The three men were allegedly duped by an illegal travel agent who promised them work permits in Australia. Instead, the agent routed them through Iran via the notorious “Dunki route”, a path often used by human traffickers for illegal migration. Later, it was alleged that they were kidnapped.

Their families claim that the kidnappers demanded a ransom of Rs 1 crore and threatened to kill the men if the payment was not made.

The relatives alleged that the kidnappers shared pictures and videos showing the men with their hands bound by ropes and visible cuts and bruises on their bodies. The families said they were able to communicate with the men during the initial days following the kidnapping, but their contact was lost after May 11.