For 3 Punjab men kidnapped in Iran, it’s home at last, but the trauma remains

Their return has not ended the trauma—it has only changed its form.

All three men are now back in Punjab—Amritpal in Hoshiarpur, Husanpreet in Sangrur, and Jaspal in Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar.

But none of them are in a condition to speak.

“He just stares blankly at the wall,” said Gurdeep Kaur, Amritpal Singh’s mother.

Amritpal, once a bubbly youth who dreamt of settling in Melbourne, now lies motionless, his sunken eyes reflecting unspeakable pain. His mother said he hasn’t uttered a full sentence since his return.

“He’s under severe mental stress. His body is covered in bruises and marks where they beat him. His nose is badly injured and he can’t even sit properly. Lying down hurts him. We’re giving him medicines, but the doctor says recovery will take time,” said his mother.

The family said that he is under medication currently, and will be able to speak in the coming few days.

In Dhuri, Sangrur district, 27-year-old Husanpreet Singh returned to his village under the cover of darkness.

His cousin Manpreet Singh said Husanpreet was medicated upon landing in Delhi and brought home by road.

“He wakes up screaming in the night. He’s under medication. There are scars everywhere—some from beatings, others from perhaps burns. His voice trembles when he tries to speak, but he usually doesn’t finish a sentence,” Manpreet said.

The family has kept visitors away, fearing it will worsen his anxiety.

In SBS Nagar, Jaspal Singh’s brother Ashok Kumar said their reunion was filled with tears—tears of relief, but also helplessness.

“We got his scan done today. There’s internal swelling in his ribs. He can barely walk. But worse is the mental trauma—he keeps shaking. He tries to speak, then stops and stares. He hasn’t eaten properly since returning,” said Ashok.

Doctors have recommended hospitalization, but the family has opted for home care, hoping the presence of loved ones will offer some comfort. “He’s home, but his mind is still trapped somewhere else,” Ashok said.

The three youths were kidnapped in Tehran in April after being lured by Hoshiarpur-based agents with promises of legal migration to Australia via Dubai and Iran.

Instead, they were handed over to a transnational trafficking gang. Videos sent to their families in May showed the three men bloodied and pleading for more money to be sent to Pakistani accounts.

After Indian authorities intervened and Iranian police rescued the trio on June 3, their return was delayed due to paperwork and the escalating Israel-Iran tensions on June 23.

They were housed at the Indian embassy in Tehran until safe passage was arranged.

The families now demand strict action against the travel agents—Dheeraj Atwal, Kamal Atwal, and Saavita Soya—who remain absconding.

Cases have been registered, but justice feels distant. As they charged R. 54 lakh from the three victims.

“We were scared they would never return. Now they are back, but broken. We just want them to heal. And we want no other family to go through this hell,” said Gurdeep Kaur, as migration dreams have turned into nightmares, and the price is being paid not in money, but in lives and souls.