New Delhi [India], January 31 : The Ministry of External Affairs on Friday confirmed that three Indian nationals who travelled to Iran for business purposes have gone missing.
MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stated that India has taken up the matter with both the Iranian Embassy in New Delhi and the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Tehran, adding that the Indian government is in touch with the families of the missing nationals.
"Three Indian nationals who had gone to Iran for business purposes, they are missing. We are in touch with their families. We have taken up the matter with the Iranian Embassy in Delhi and with the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Tehran," Jaiswal said in a weekly briefing today.
He added, "MEA and the Embassy of India in Tehran remain in touch with Iranian authorities and have requested for their assistance in locating the missing nationals and ensuring their safety."
On Indians missing in Russia, Jaiswal said, "We had said that out of the 18 people, 16 who have gone missing, we are in touch with the Russian authorities to look for them..."
MEA on January 17 confirmed that as many as 12 Indian nationals were killed while serving for the Russian Army in the Ukraine conflict, while 16 more are missing.
There were a total of 126 cases of Indian nationals serving in the Russian Army, and India is seeking an "early release" of those who are still there, Jaiswal said.
"As of today, there have been 126 cases (of Indian nationals serving in the Russian Army). Of these 126 cases, 96 people have returned to India and have been discharged from the Russian Armed Forces. 18 Indian nationals in the Russian Army remain and out of them the whereabouts of 16 individuals are not known. The Russian side has categorised them as missing," Jaiswal said on January 17.
He added, "We are seeking early release and repatriation of those who remain...12 Indian nationals have died who were serving in the Russian Army."Notably, several Indian nationals were allegedly duped into fighting in Russia's war with Ukraine on the pretext of lucrative jobs.
Last year, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), busted a major human trafficking network running across the country targeting Indian nationals on the promise of offering lucrative jobs abroad but allegedly sending them to the Russia-Ukraine war zone.