Dhanusha man taken into custody by Iranian forces

KATHMANDU: A Nepali man has been taken into custody by Iranian security forces in the strategic Gulf waterway of Hormuz.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Iranian military detained Amrit Jha from Dhanusha while taking control of a commercial vessel.

Speaking at a press conference at the ministry on Friday, Ramkaji Khadka, head of the West Asia Division, said that all crew members on the vessel were taken into Iranian custody.

Jha was working on the ship as a technical staff member. His family had requested the ministry to trace his whereabouts after he went out of contact.

The Iranian Revolutionary Guards claimed the vessel had links with Israel and seized it in the Strait of Hormuz.

The ministry has said that it is monitoring Jha’s condition through the Nepali embassy in Doha, which oversees relations with Iran.