 "File photo: India-Pakistan relations")
India is investigating the role of Pakistan and its spy agency Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) in the abduction of three Indians in Iran. According to a report by The Economic Times, the probe began after the families of the Indian nationals received calls from a Pakistani phone number.
The three Indians who have been abducted in Iran are from Punjab’s Sangrur, Hoshiarpur and SBS Nagar. The sources close to the matter told ET that they went missing in Iran and the authorities are making efforts to trace them “urgently”. The three abductees have been identified as Hushanpreet Singh (Sangrur), Jaspal Singh (SBS Nagar) and Amritpal Singh (Hoshiarpur).
The three Indian nationals went missing on May 1 after they landed in Tehran. Sources close to the matter told ET that ISI might be trying to prove that the Indians were involved in “espionage” in Pakistan.
Indian embassy issued a statement
Meanwhile, the Indian embassy in Tehran also issued a statement on the matter. “Family members of three 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 be urgently traced and their safety should be ensured,” the Indian embassy in Iran recently said in a statement.
The embassy noted that it is “keeping the family members regularly updated” on the efforts being made by it in the case. Meanwhile, a report from The Financial Express noted that these three men had been lured by an agent in Punjab who promised to send them to Australia through a route that passed via Dubai and Iran. The agent was based in Hoshiarpur and is currently untraceable.
What is also concerning is the fact that this is the second case in the past year involving Indian nationals going missing in Iran. In the past, Iranian authorities have urged Indians to be cautious while travelling abroad and not fall prey to illegal agents and trafficking networks.