Following the kidnapping of an 18-year-old Afghan youth in Tehran and the demand for extortion from his family, the Iranian Intelligence Police announced that they had carried out a special operation to free the hostage and arrest the perpetrators of the kidnapping. Experts say that this incident is part of a wider pattern of human trafficking networks targeting newly arrived Afghan immigrants.
Publish dateTuesday 4 November 2025 - 15:31
Story Code : 334733
Afghan Voice Agency (AVA) - Tehran: The head of the Tehran Intelligence Police has announced that the 18-year-old youth was kidnapped by several people after entering through the Taybad border and arriving at the South Terminal. The kidnappers had sent a video of his torture to his family and extorted 20 million tomans.
According to police officials, the hostage’s hiding place was identified by tracking the bank account of one of the suspects and he was released during a special operation. The arrested individuals are currently under interrogation.
In recent years, there have been reports of human trafficking networks exploiting newly arrived Afghan migrants in Iran. According to human rights organizations, many of these migrants lack legal protections due to their lack of identity documents and official residency, making them vulnerable to extortion, exploitation, forced labor, and violence.
A large portion of newly arrived Afghan migrants in Iran are forced to use informal routes to find work and support their families. This exposes them to human trafficking networks, illegal labor brokers, extortion gangs, and organized crime.
Migration experts say that “the lack of a transparent mechanism for registering and organizing new migrants” has contributed to the increase in abuses.
According to official estimates, tens of thousands of Afghan migrants have entered Iran through informal routes in the past four years.
In the past year, several similar cases of kidnapping and extortion of migrants have been reported in Tehran, Karaj and Mashhad.
Iranian police have announced that they have made “combating human trafficking gangs” a security priority.
According to observers, this incident shows that newly arrived migrants are in vulnerable situations without legal and social protection. To reduce these incidents, it is necessary to: systematically register and identify newly arrived migrants, increase awareness about the dangers of informal routes, and strengthen police cooperation between Iran and Afghanistan to combat human trafficking networks.
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According to police officials, the hostage’s hiding place was identified by tracking the bank account of one of the suspects and he was released during a special operation. The arrested individuals are currently under interrogation.
In recent years, there have been reports of human trafficking networks exploiting newly arrived Afghan migrants in Iran. According to human rights organizations, many of these migrants lack legal protections due to their lack of identity documents and official residency, making them vulnerable to extortion, exploitation, forced labor, and violence.
A large portion of newly arrived Afghan migrants in Iran are forced to use informal routes to find work and support their families. This exposes them to human trafficking networks, illegal labor brokers, extortion gangs, and organized crime.
Migration experts say that “the lack of a transparent mechanism for registering and organizing new migrants” has contributed to the increase in abuses.
According to official estimates, tens of thousands of Afghan migrants have entered Iran through informal routes in the past four years.
In the past year, several similar cases of kidnapping and extortion of migrants have been reported in Tehran, Karaj and Mashhad.
Iranian police have announced that they have made “combating human trafficking gangs” a security priority.
According to observers, this incident shows that newly arrived migrants are in vulnerable situations without legal and social protection. To reduce these incidents, it is necessary to: systematically register and identify newly arrived migrants, increase awareness about the dangers of informal routes, and strengthen police cooperation between Iran and Afghanistan to combat human trafficking networks.
h
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