Three young men from Punjab, who went missing in Iran in May this year, were found and released by Tehran police on Tuesday, the Iran Embassy in New Delhi said in an official statement. The three Indian men were travelling to Australia via Iran for a work opportunity when they went missing, the families had said earlier.

The men have been identified as Amritpal Singh, 23, from Bhagowal Luda in Hoshiarpur; Jaspal Singh, from Langroya in Nawanshehar (Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar); and Husanpreet Singh, 27, from Sanagatpura in Dhuri, Sangrur.

The kidnapping of the men was reported on May 1 when they arrived in Iran. The last time their families heard from them was between May 11 and 17, in which they were seen bloodied and pleading. They were untraceable since then.

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Ashok Kumar, the elder brother of Jaspal Singh, had told The Indian Express that the families had collectively paid over Rs 19 lakh to the agents. “Jaspal was first taken to Dubai on April 1 and kept there for a month. Amritpal and Husanpreet also joined him in Dubai on April 25 after paying the full amount. They were then flown to Tehran in early May on separate flights,” he said.

Earlier, on May 29, the Iranian Embassy in India had said that the case is currently under investigation. India also confirmed on May 29 that it was in touch with the Iranian authorities regarding the case of the missing Indian nationals, and is receiving good cooperation.

The three Indians were taken to Tehran in early May, where they were approached by unknown individuals claiming that they were sent by Indian agents. The three men were taken away in a taxi, only to later reveal that they had been kidnapped.

The families were asked to pay Rs 18 lakh each in ransom to bank accounts in Pakistan.