Seven Afghans arrested in Tehran for kidnapping and extorting fellow migrants: Iranian media

According to a report by the Mashregh newspaper, seven Afghan citizens have been arrested in Tehran for kidnapping wealthy Afghans they identified as their compatriots.

The gang reportedly cut off parts of the victims’ ears or noses and sent them to the families as a form of extortion.

The report also stated that police are looking for two leaders of the gang who are still at large.

The gang used elaborate schemes, such as staged car crashes, to entrap their victims. After capturing them, they tortured and mutilated the victims to demand ransoms from their families.

The seven gang members followed the leaders’ orders and carried out a series of kidnappings and extortions targeting Afghan immigrants in Iran.

Four of the gang members, all from the same province, staged fake accidents to force their victims to stop and then took them to a yard near Shahriar where they were held. Two others would guard the hostages in the garden.

Meanwhile, Afghan refugees in Iran face increasingly difficult conditions, not only from criminal gangs but also from harsh treatment by local authorities. Many are subjected to intimidation, torture and restrictions on basic needs such as buying bread.

Amid the dire humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, refugees in Iran are being forcibly deported, further deteriorating their situation. Many face physical abuse and work bans, leaving them without the means to survive.

The combination of forced deportations, inhumane treatment and lack of access to basic rights such as employment is pushing Afghan refugees into even greater vulnerability, exacerbating their suffering in both Iran and Afghanistan.