Kerala family worried as 56-yr-old engineer stranded in Iran amid Middle East tensions

For the past one and a half weeks, Nevin Antony from  Kottayam's Puthuppally has been desperately trying to contact his father, 56-year-old Soney Antony, who is stranded in Iran amid the escalating tensions in the Middle East.

Soney, who had planned to return to Kerala on March 13, had already booked his flight tickets. However, the situation changed as the Iran-Israel conflict began affecting Chabahar, the city where he has been working for the past five years as a service engineer with Sofia Tea.

According to Nevin, the situation in Chabahar remained relatively calm in the initial days of the crisis, and the family was in regular contact with Soney. As tensions spread to the region, the company arranged transport for employees to leave the area. Soney and a few others were taken by taxi to Tehran, from where they were advised to travel by road to Azerbaijan and catch flights to their respective countries.

Soney travelled to the Azerbaijan border along with four Sri Lankan colleagues. Meanwhile, Nevin arranged a 30-day tourist e-visa for Azerbaijan for his father so that he could fly out from there. However, when they reached the border, Azerbaijani authorities informed them that entry would require a border code, since the visa was issued electronically.

“The border code has to be issued by the government of the traveller’s home country. In my father’s case, it should come from the Indian government,” said Nevin, a freelance fitness trainer. Since the group did not have the required document, they had to stay back in Iran. Soney is currently staying at Hotel Shahryar in Qarahziyaaddin, West Azerbaijan Province, Iran.

Nevin said the last time he spoke directly to his father was a day before he left for the Azerbaijan border. After that, Soney’s mobile data subscription expired, which was usually managed by his employer. Since then, the family has been unable to communicate with him directly.

“We later received updates through the Sri Lankan nationals who were travelling with him,” Nevin said. However, the Sri Lankan government completed the paperwork for its citizens, and they were able to fly back home on Friday. With no direct communication, Nevin has also been unable to send the e-visa details to his father.

The family has approached the Indian Embassy in Iran, but they were asked to contact the embassy in Tehran, from where they have not received any response so far, he said. Nevin has also contacted the Malayali Association in Azerbaijan, which has expressed willingness to help once Soney manages to enter the country. Currently, the family is also unable to contact the hotel where Soney is staying.

A Kashmiri man working in Iran has been helping the family gather information by making local calls and passing updates through a family friend. Nevin said they have also approached NORKA authorities and the Prime Minister’s Office, but have yet to receive any response.

Another concern is Soney’s limited funds. “When he left Chabahar, he had only 500 dollars with him. We are worried about his expenses and whether he is getting proper food,” Nevin said.

The situation has left the family deeply distressed. “My mother has been in tears till yesterday,” he said. His younger sister is currently appearing for her Class 10 examinations, while the rest of the family anxiously awaits news. Before moving to Iran, Soney had worked in Russia, Dubai and Sri Lanka.

Apart from Nevin, Soney’s family includes his mother Eliyamma, wife Smitha, daughter Nimisha and younger son Nadan, a Class 4 student.