Ahmedabad: Four residents of Bapupura village in Mansa taluka of Gujarat’s Gandhinagar district, who were held captive in Tehran after attempting to reach Australia through the illegal “donkey route,” have returned home on Tuesday, said officials.
They landed in Ahmedabad airport on Tuesday and have since gone to their homes, Gandhinagar superintendent of police (SP) Ravi Teja Vasamasetty said.
“We tried questioning them but could not get much information as they are in a state of trauma. In a day or two we would be able to get more details,” he said.
They were identified as Ajaykumar Chaudhary (31), Priyaben Chaudhary (25), Anilkumar Chaudhary (35), and Nikhilkumar Chaudhary (28).
They departed from Mansa for Delhi on October 19 and from there they were taken to Tehran via Bangkok and Dubai on Emirates Airlines. Upon their arrival at Imam Khomeini International Airport in Tehran, all four were allegedly abducted.
Their case was flagged by Mansa MLA Jayantibhai Somabhai Patel in a letter to Union home minister Amit Shah, dated October 26. The letter states the men left Mansa for Delhi and, through a third-party agent, travelled onward via Bangkok and Dubai to Tehran.
The MLA’s letter listed their hotel in Tehran as Hallay Hotel, Bimeh Alley between Somayeh Street and Taleqani Street. The letter alleged they were taken captive by a man known as “Baba”.
{{/usCountry}}The MLA’s letter listed their hotel in Tehran as Hallay Hotel, Bimeh Alley between Somayeh Street and Taleqani Street. The letter alleged they were taken captive by a man known as “Baba”.
{{/usCountry}}“Four friends from my constituency wanted to go to Australia but did not take the proper route and were kidnapped in Iran, where they were held captive,” MLA Patel told HT over the phone.
He added that two of the men were beaten and a video of the assault was sent to their families and said that according to the information given to him, the kidnappers had demanded nearly ₹2 crore for their release.
Patel said the Bapupura village sarpanch, Prakashbhai Chaudhary, informed him about the incident, after which he contacted chief minister Bhupendra Patel, deputy chief minister Harsh Sanghavi and Union home minister Amit Shah.
“The Centre and the state government acted swiftly and took up the matter with the Iranian authorities. Thanks to their efforts, all four were released and have now returned home,” he said.
The victims could not be reached on their mobile phones. A villager said the group had paid agents ₹30–40 lakh each before leaving and another ₹25–30 lakh after being captured, a claim police said they are yet to verify.
He said the agent had told the four that they would be taken from Iran through a chain of handlers operating across several countries in the Middle East and South-East Asia, and from there sent by sea or air towards Australia — a route often used in unauthorised migration cases.
Officials said the four intended to reach Australia through the illegal route in which agents move travellers through multiple countries without valid immigration clearances. They were taken hostage soon after arriving in Tehran, and their release followed coordination between Indian and Iranian authorities, according to a police official. A formal investigation will begin once a complaint is filed, officials said.
In June 2023 a similar case was reported, when an Ahmedabad couple attempting to enter the United States illegally was held captive in Tehran by agents who demanded ransom. They were later released after intervention by Indian authorities.
The incident points to the expanding network of unauthorised migration rackets operating through Iran and Gulf countries, which have exposed several young Indians to abduction and extortion abroad.
The case is similar to one reported in June 2023, when an Ahmedabad couple attempting to enter the United States illegally was held captive in Tehran by agents who demanded ransom. They were later released after intervention by Indian authorities.
In September 2025, the Ministry of External Affairs issued an advisory warning that several Indians had been lured to Iran on false promises of employment or onward travel to third countries and were later kidnapped by criminal gangs demanding ransom. The advisory cautioned citizens to exercise the “strictest vigilance” and noted that visa-free entry to Iran is permitted only for tourism purposes.