Victims Reveal Accounts of Torture and Extortion in Tehran: Kidnappers Identified as Pakistani Nationals
These revelations come in response to previous claims made by certain media outlets and social media users, who attempted to falsely attribute the abduction to Afghan migrants
Mohajir Times — Anti-immigrant claims accusing Afghan nationals of abducting three Indian citizens in Iran have proven to be false. Documents and direct testimonies from the victims now confirm that the perpetrators were Pakistani nationals who, with the assistance of one Iranian individual, carried out the abduction, torture, and extortion of the Indian men.
In recent days, some anti-immigration groups alleged that the kidnapping of three young Indian men in Iran was carried out by Afghan migrants. However, a recent report by The Week dismisses these claims.
In interviews with the victims, The Week revealed that the primary perpetrators were a group of human traffickers from Pakistan. According to Jaspal Singh, one of the three abducted individuals, they initially traveled to Tehran through an Indian intermediary. Upon arrival, they were handed over to a group of Pakistani brokers in the city.
Singh stated that immediately after the handover, the kidnappers seized their mobile phones and subjected them to threats, physical violence, and torture in order to extort money from their families. The victims emphasized that most of the captors were Pakistani, spoke primarily Punjabi, and that only one Iranian was among them.
These revelations come in response to previous claims made by certain media outlets and social media users, who attempted to falsely attribute the abduction to Afghan migrants—part of a broader effort to stir distrust and hostility toward the Afghan refugee community.
With the true identities of the kidnappers now confirmed, this case underscores the urgent need for responsible reporting, accurate information dissemination, and a strong rejection of harmful generalizations that target vulnerable communities, particularly Afghan refugees and migrants in Iran.
