According to a report by Mashregh newspaper, seven Afghan citizens in Tehran have been arrested for kidnapping wealthy Afghans they identified as their fellow countrymen.
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 mentioned that the police are searching for two leaders of the gang who remain at large.
The gang used elaborate schemes, such as staged car accidents, to trap their victims. After capturing them, they tortured the victims and mutilated them to demand ransom from their families.
The seven gang members followed orders from the leaders, executing a series of kidnappings and extortion targeting Afghan immigrants in Iran.
Four of the gang members, all from the same province, would stage fake accidents to force their victims to stop, then take them to a garden near Shahriar where they were held. Two others would guard the hostages in the garden.
Meanwhile, Afghan refugees in Iran are facing increasingly difficult conditions, not only from criminal gangs but also from harsh treatment by local authorities. Many are subjected to harassment, torture, and restrictions on basic needs like purchasing bread.
Amid the dire humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, refugees in Iran are being forcibly deported, further worsening their plight. Many face physical abuse and a ban on working, 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 driving Afghan refugees into deeper vulnerability, exacerbating their suffering in both Iran and Afghanistan.
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