Overview

• Nine members of a 12-strong Indian tour group were detained by Moscow immigration officials on July 8 despite holding valid documents.
• Tourists reported that officers confiscated passports, searched mobile phones and confined them in cramped, locked rooms without basic facilities.
• The detained travelers were informed of their deportation and were flown to Baku without being allowed to book voluntary return flights.
• The group is coordinating with the Indian Embassy in Moscow from Baku as they await confirmation of their return journeys.
• Amit Tanwar’s appeals to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar underscore concerns over procedural fairness and could test longstanding India–Russia travel ties.