Nanded Engineer Detained in Iran Returns Home After 2 Months

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: An engineer from Nanded in central Maharashtra, Yogesh Panchal (33), has returned to India after being detained in Iran for nearly two months. He was accused of taking photographs in a restricted area.

Panchal was released earlier this week following intervention by the Ministry of External Affairs. The release was confirmed by Rajya Sabha member and local BJP leader Ajit Gopchede.

Yogesh Panchal arrived back in India on February 4, ending his prolonged detention.

Panchal, who hails from Vasmat in Nanded district, told reporters that he visited Iran in the first week of December for exploring business opportunities.

"I landed in Tehran on December 7. I went for sight-seeing and shot some photos and videos like other tourists, and sent them to my family back home," he said.

"On the same day I was apprehended from my hotel room and taken to a detention centre," Panchal said.

He was accused of shooting videos and photos in a restricted zone. "I was blindfolded all the time. They kept me in a local detention centre for 59 days," he said.

He was treated well during the incarceration, Panchal said, adding, "The guards never even touched me. But they had their process, and I had to go through it." The family, in the meanwhile, had approached MP Gopchede, seeking help for his release.

Shraddha, Panchal's wife, said she managed to talk to her husband over phone only on February 1.

According to Gopchede, when a lawyer engaged by the family visited the Iranian Embassy in Delhi, the officials there did not cooperate.

"But when the Ministry of External Affairs intervened, they took up the case and a hearing was conducted, leading to his release," the MP said.

(with agency inputs)