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Jalandhar man arrested in kidnapping of two Kaithal youths in Iran; ₹45 lakh ransom paid
The accused, identified as Harish alias Happy alias Gopal, was taken into production remand from Delhi’s Tihar Jail by the Special Detective Unit, police said.
Months after two men from Kaithal were kidnapped in Iran and held for ransom, the police on Friday arrested a Jalandhar resident in connection with the case.
The accused, identified as Harish alias Happy alias Gopal, was taken into production remand from Delhi’s Tihar Jail by the Special Detective Unit, police said.
Superintendent of police (SP) Upasana said that on September 7, 2025, Somil Singh, a resident of Kaithal, and Naveen Mor from Jind arrived at Konarak Airport in Iran after travelling from Jaipur via Sharjah and Tehran. They were planning to travel onward to Australia.
“Tehran and Konarak airports fall in sensitive Islamic regions of Iran, where criminals, including those from Pakistan, are active. The accused picked up the victims from the airport, telling them they would have to stay for two days before arrangements were made for their travel to Australia,” the SP said.
To gain their trust, the accused sent fake Australian visas and booked air tickets. A deal was struck for ₹22 lakh per person, she added.
However, on September 11, the families of the two men received a WhatsApp call informing them that their sons had been kidnapped. The callers demanded ₹80 lakh in ransom, threatening to kill the victims or sell them in Afghanistan if the money was not paid.
The SP said the families later received repeated calls from Pakistani and other foreign numbers, along with videos showing the victims being tortured.
“Under pressure, the families initially paid ₹10 lakh. After a case was registered, the Indian Embassy in Tehran was contacted through the Central government. To ensure the safety of the victims, the families later paid another ₹35 lakh as demanded,” she said.
The two men were rescued on September 22 and sent back to India.
According to the SP, Harish had earlier been arrested by the Delhi Police Special Cell in a similar case and was lodged in Tihar Jail. He allegedly worked for the kidnappers in Tehran and received ₹35 lakh of the ransom amount in Jalandhar.
Harish has been remanded to judicial custody and lodged in Kaithal jail. “He will be re-arrested on a production warrant for further investigation,” the SP added.
