The US embassy in New Delhi is looking into reports that American contractors lured Indians into Iraq and mistreated them, according to the state department.

The embassy has also "advised" the Ministry of External Affairs that it is doing so, state department spokesman Richard Boucher said in Washington, DC on Wednesday.

"Obviously, we take all such reports seriously, and we'll do our best to find out the facts of the matter," he said.

The MEA had contacted the US embassy to discuss the issue, he added.

The Indian media reported that some Indians had been lured in Iraq under false pretences and mistreated while working there, he noted.

Asked if there was any effort to find out what actually happened to the alleged victims, Boucher said, "I think that's what the embassy would do is try to identify, first of all, who these people worked with, where they worked and what they were doing, and then use our folks on the other end of the equation to find those specifics of that circumstance, see what really happened."