Gross police negligence has been exposed in the case of a family being kidnapped in Tehran, Iran, en route to Canada, and a ransom of ₹70 lakh was demanded from them. The Nawanshahr police have identified the person who collected one installment of the ransom from Jalandhar, but no legal action has been taken yet. Although the victim filed a complaint with Jalandhar Police Commissioner Dhanpreet Kaur after paying the money three times in Jalandhar, the complaint was also marked to the Nawanshahr police. The victim alleges that the person who collected the money is from Jalandhar.
Revealing this, Dharminder Singh, son of Laxshar Singh, a resident of Nawanshahr, said that an agent named Bittu had made a deal with him to send him and his wife and son to Canada for ₹2.6 million. On September 23, 2025, Bittu asked them to immediately pack their belongings and come to Chandigarh, after which they were transported from Chandigarh to Kolkata and then to Dubai. After a seven-hour layover, he was taken to Tehran Airport in Iran, where he was deceived into believing he would be sent directly to Canada after a brief stay.
It is alleged that shortly after arriving at the hotel in Tehran, some men came and kidnapped him and took him to a house in the jungle. There, they robbed him of his mobile phone, jewelry, and cash, and then demanded he call home and deliver ₹1.5 crore (1.5 crore). They threatened to kill him and sell his body parts if he did not do so. The kidnappers recorded videos and audio of his assault, sent them home, and demanded ₹1.5 crore (1.5 crore). The victim alleges that this gang was led by a Pakistani don named Mitthu, who was also in cahoots with agents. He was told to somehow raise ₹70 lakh (2.5 million rupees) on September 27th, ₹1.5 million (1.5 million rupees) on October 1st, and ₹10 lakh (1.5 million rupees) on October 3rd.
Dharminder Singh says his family took photographs and videos of the people who took the money. As soon as they were released after receiving the money, they booked tickets from Tehran and returned to India. He also filed a complaint with the Nawanshahr police, including photographs and videos of the people who took the money. Nitin Mehra of Jalandhar, who took the money, was identified, but the police instead demanded proof of the ₹70 lakh he had received. The police did not even once rigorously interrogate the accused.
Recently, Dharminder also filed a complaint with the Jalandhar CP, but it was also forwarded to the Nawanshahr police. The victim’s family says that this gang has its roots in Jalandhar and only the Jalandhar police can catch them. Dharminder said that if the police take strict action, the entire gang could be exposed and many people could be saved from being held hostage abroad.
