Captain Amrit Jha: A Ship Returning With Oil Is Under The Control Of The Iranian Military Amrit Jha, 33, of Gaighat, Udayapur, is under the control of the Iranian military.
He was captured by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard in the Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf from the port of Bandar Abbas in the Hormuz region while returning to Iran with oil.
Jha had arrived in Iran to bring fuel before the start of the war between Israel, the US and Iran. He was working as a captain for a shipping company in Dubai when he was arrested while returning to Dubai with the oil.
According to his brother Sunil Thakur, he informed his family about his arrest a few days after being held by Iranian security personnel.
2/3 days ago, he sent a voice message on WhatsApp from a new number. In it, he said, “I, along with two Indians, have been taken into custody by Iranian security personnel. Please take the initiative with the Nepal government for their rescue.” After that, when I contacted the number from which the voice message came, I could not get in touch.
Amrit had gone to Dubai for foreign employment two years ago. There, he was a captain on a ship of the ‘Black Sea Marine LLC Company’. The last time Amrit called home was on January 12. At that time, he had informed that he was in Iran. He had said that his work in Iran was about to end and that he would come to Nepal.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has said that after receiving the application, the Nepali Embassy in Doha, Qatar, was asked to inquire about Jha’s condition.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Lok Bahadur Poudel Chhetri said that initiatives are currently being taken for ‘consular access’. ‘We have already started processing the application after receiving the application from the family,’ Chhetri said, ‘Initiatives are being taken for consular access, we have initiated it through the Nepali Embassy in Doha.’
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has stated that efforts are being made to reach him and understand his condition and this has been given high priority. However, due to the war, it is not possible to go easily.
The Nepali Consulate in Iran has now moved to Turkey and is working from there. Due to this, efforts are also being made to understand through the Nepali Embassy and Consulate in Doha, the Ministry has stated.
Triyuga Municipality of Udayapur has also requested for his safe release. The municipality has written a letter to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs requesting immediate diplomatic initiatives for his release.
There are currently 10 Nepalis in Iran. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has stated that there were six people earlier, and four more have been contacted. All are safe and have been registered through the Indian Embassy to be returned on the ship that will rescue Indian citizens, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has stated.
Iran has been targeting US military bases in the Gulf countries with missiles and drone attacks, raising security concerns for Nepalis living there.