Delhi man kidnapped, tortured in Iran after being lured by job in Australia

An Indian man’s dream of working abroad turned into a nightmare after he was allegedly kidnapped, tortured, and ransomed in Iran.

Himanshu Mathur, a resident of Karala in Delhi, was held captive for a week by a gang in Iran’s Chabahar. 

He was released after his family allegedly paid a ransom of ₹20 lakh, according to TOI.

It all started when Mathur met Aman Rathi, who claimed to be working in immigration services in Karnal, Haryana.

Rathi convinced Mathur that completing a Continuous Discharge Certificate course would land him a job via an Australian work visa.

After completing the course in Noida, Mathur was assured that they would soon travel abroad together.

In early August, Rathi informed him from Indonesia that he had found an agent who could arrange a visa for ₹19 lakh. Following this, Mathur flew to Jakarta, where he met Rathi and another associate, Vishal, from Panipat. On August 9, Rathi asked Mathur’s brother, Dimpy, to hand over ₹12 lakh to an associate in Karnal, with the remaining ₹7 lakh to be paid at a later stage.

After spending nearly three weeks in Jakarta, Mathur came back to Delhi along with Rathi and Vishal. On August 29, Mathur and Rathi boarded a flight to Tehran, thinking it was a step toward their journey to Australia. Instead, they were taken to Chabahar in Iran, where a gang abducted them.

According to police, Rathi had been coordinating with an agent named Mithu for their travel documents, but it was later revealed that Mithu was actually part of the kidnapping network.

Mathur also shared the horrific account of the torture where the kidnappers thrashed him with a metal pipe and threatened him to kill them and sell his organs if the ransom wasn't paid.

The kidnappers demanded ₹1 crore, but after negotiations, it was brought down to ₹20 lakh.

Mathur and Rathi were eventually freed at Chabahar airport and flew back to Delhi on September 7. According to police, Mathur appeared visibly shaken upon arrival at Indira Gandhi International Airport. At his family’s request, he was permitted to return home and recuperate before giving a formal statement.