India seeks Tehran’s assistance after 3 nationals go missing in Iran

Three Indian nationals who travelled to Iran for business reasons have gone missing, the Ministry of External Affairs confirmed Friday.

New Delhi has taken up the matter with both the Iranian Embassy in New Delhi and the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Tehran, as per MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal. He added 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 during a media briefing. 

“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,” he added.

One of the missing Indians is 33-year-old Yogesh Panchal from Maharashtra’s Nanded who took a flight from Mumbai to Tehran on December 5 to explore business opportunities. It was his first trip abroad. Panchal was in touch with his wife for three days, but suddenly went missing.

The other two missing Indians are Mohammad Sadeeque, who also flew to Iran in December 2024, and Sumeet Sud, who went early this month on business purposes. 

In another similar news, 16 people have gone missing in Russia. The spokesperson also addressed concerns about the Indian nationals missing in Russia, confirming that the Centre is working with Russian authorities to locate them. “16 have gone missing and we are in touch with the Russian authorities,” he added.