Gujarat’s Special Operations Group (SOG) announced on 12 November the arrest of Delhi-based agent Zareek Ahmed Khan, accused of masterminding a human-smuggling route that left four villagers from Gandhinagar kidnapped in Tehran. The victims, including a young couple, had paid more than ₹18 lakh each for what they believed was an expedited pathway to Australia via Iran.
Instead, Iranian middlemen held them captive for 11 days, demanding additional ransom from families in India. They were released on 27 October after intervention from Indian diplomatic channels, but the case triggered a multi-state investigation. SOG teams tracked Khan through money-transfer records and arrested him in Delhi; accomplices in Uttar Pradesh are still at large.
![Visa-agent racket busted after four Gujarati migrants abducted in Iran]()
Preliminary evidence shows the network produced forged passports and transit visas, funnelling migrants through Dubai and Kish Island before moving them by fishing vessel toward Australia. The syndicate allegedly advertised on WhatsApp groups popular among job-seekers and promised ‘PR on arrival’, charging up to ₹25 lakh per head.
Police have booked Khan under India’s new Immigration and Foreigners Bill provisions, which carry sentences of up to seven years for forged travel documents and trafficking. Authorities are coordinating with Interpol to trace Iranian and Australian collaborators.
For mobility managers, the case is a stark reminder to vet third-party relocation vendors and educate workers on the dangers of irregular migration routes that can derail legitimate overseas assignments and expose firms to legal liability.
Instead, Iranian middlemen held them captive for 11 days, demanding additional ransom from families in India. They were released on 27 October after intervention from Indian diplomatic channels, but the case triggered a multi-state investigation. SOG teams tracked Khan through money-transfer records and arrested him in Delhi; accomplices in Uttar Pradesh are still at large.
Preliminary evidence shows the network produced forged passports and transit visas, funnelling migrants through Dubai and Kish Island before moving them by fishing vessel toward Australia. The syndicate allegedly advertised on WhatsApp groups popular among job-seekers and promised ‘PR on arrival’, charging up to ₹25 lakh per head.
Police have booked Khan under India’s new Immigration and Foreigners Bill provisions, which carry sentences of up to seven years for forged travel documents and trafficking. Authorities are coordinating with Interpol to trace Iranian and Australian collaborators.
For mobility managers, the case is a stark reminder to vet third-party relocation vendors and educate workers on the dangers of irregular migration routes that can derail legitimate overseas assignments and expose firms to legal liability.
