Delhi-based visa operator held after four Gujarati migrants were abducted in Iran

AHMEDABAD: A human trafficking and extortion racket has been busted after the rescue of four residents of Gujarats Gandhinagar who were abducted in Iran while attempting to illegally enter Australia. The Gandhinagar Special Operations Group (SOG) has now arrested the Delhi-based agent who orchestrated the crime and is digging deeper into the network. The four victims, including a couple, are residents of Bapupura village in Mansa taluka. They were kidnapped and brutalised in Tehran under the false promise of being sent to Australia. The mastermind behind this, Delhi-based passport and visa agent Zareek Ahmed Khan Safiq Ahmed Khan, was arrested by the Gandhinagar SOG following a meticulous interstate operation led by officer police inspector V D Wala under the supervision of SP Ravi Teja Wasam Shetty, marks a crucial breakthrough in the probe into this transnational racket. Police inspector Wala told local media that the accused agents, Zareek Ahmed Khan and Safiq Ahmed Khan, were arrested a few days ago and produced before the court, which granted police remand till November 13. After frantic efforts involving political intermediaries, all four victims were finally released on October 27 and flown back to India the next day. The Gandhinagar SOG swiftly swung into action, coordinating with multiple teams in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, and Gujarat. Their pursuit led to the arrest of Zareek Ahmed Khan, originally from Uttarakhand but operating from Delhi as a visa agent. He has been remanded in custody till November 13 for interrogation, as the police work to uncover the larger international human trafficking and extortion network behind this operation. This is not an isolated case we suspect a deeper network involving agents in multiple states and foreign handlers. Interrogation of the accused is ongoing, said PI V D Wala, confirming that the investigation has now extended beyond Indias borders.or.