NEW DELHI: A 26-year-old man from Karala in northwest Delhi saw his dream of working abroad turn into a nightmare after he was allegedly kidnapped and tortured in Iran. The victim, Himanshu Mathur, was reportedly held captive for a week before being freed following a ransom payment of Rs 20 lakh by his family.
According to police, Mathur first came into contact with Aman Rathi, who claimed to work in the immigration in Karnal, Haryana. Rathi assured him that completing a ‘Continuous Discharge Certificate course’ would secure him a job on a ship, eventually leading to an Australian work visa. Mathur completed the 15-day course in Noida, after which Rathi promised they would travel together.In early Aug, Rathi informed Mathur that he was in Indonesia and had found an agent who could arrange the visa for Rs 19 lakh. Mathur flew to Jakarta, where he met Rathi and another associate, Vishal, from Panipat.On Aug 9, Rathi directed Mathur’s brother, Dimpy, to deliver Rs 12 lakh to his associate in Karnal. The remaining Rs 7 lakh was to be paid later.After spending nearly three weeks in Jakarta, Mathur returned to Delhi with Rathi and Vishal. On Aug 29, Mathur and Rathi flew from Delhi to Tehran, Iran, under the impression that they would soon be travelling to Australia from there. Instead, the duo landed in Chabahar, after being abducted and held in a remote house by a gang.Rathi had been in contact with an agent named Mithu, who was supposed to assist with their travel documents for Australia. But it was later revealed that Mithu was part of the gang operating in Iran.“They thrashed us with metal pipes and threatened to kill us and sell our organs if the ransom wasn’t paid,” Mathur told police. The kidnappers contacted Dimpy through video calls, showing Mathur being assaulted and demanded Rs 1 crore. After negotiations, the ransom was reduced to Rs 20 lakh, which was handed over in Jalandhar to a person linked to the gang.Mathur and Rathi were later released at Chabahar airport. They landed in Delhi on Sept 7. An officer said when the victim landed at IGI Airport in Delhi, he looked traumatised. At his family’s request, police allowed Mathur to return home to recover, asking him to record his statement once in a stable condition.A case was registered under sections 140 (kidnapping or abduction for ransom, etc.) and 61 (criminal conspiracy) of the BNS.
