4 Gujarati Men Held In Iran While Attempting Illegal 'Donkey Route' To Australia Return Home

Four Indians from Gujarat, who were held captive in Tehran after attempting to reach Australia via the illegal “donkey route,” returned home on Tuesday.

The group landed at Ahmedabad airport earlier in

the day and have since reunited with their families, Gandhinagar Superintendent of Police (SP) Ravi Teja Vasamasetty confirmed.

SP Vasamasetty noted that they tried to question the group but could not gather much information, as they remain in a state of shock and trauma. “We hope to get more details in a day or two,” he said.

According to a report by Hindustan Times, the four individuals are Ajaykumar Chaudhary (31), Priyaben Chaudhary (25), Anilkumar Chaudhary (35), and Nikhilkumar Chaudhary (28), all residents of Bapupura village in Mansa taluka, Gandhinagar district.

Officials said the group left Mansa for Delhi on October 19 and then travelled via Bangkok and Dubai on Emirates Airlines before arriving in Tehran. Upon reaching Imam Khomeini International Airport, they were allegedly taken captive.

The case was first flagged by Mansa MLA Jayantibhai Somabhai Patel, who wrote to Union Home Minister Amit Shah on October 26, detailing the group’s journey and listing their Tehran hotel as Hallay Hotel, Bimeh Alley, between Somayeh Street and Taleqani Street. The letter alleged they were held by a man known locally as “Baba”.

This incident comes amid heightened scrutiny of the so-called “donkey route”, an illegal migration path from India to Western countries. On Sunday, 54 youths from Haryana were deported by the US for attempting to enter the country via the same route. These individuals, mostly aged between 25 and 40, were handed over to their families at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport.

The Trump administration’s strict stance on illegal immigration has led to increased deportations in recent months. Officials said that US authorities are actively cracking down on people entering the country without valid visas, with hundreds of Indians sent back earlier this year.

(With inputs from agencies)