Odisha man abducted in Sudan returns back home after month

Bhubaneswar: Odia man who was held hostage by the armed groups last month has safely returned back to India and reached Bhubaneswar today.

Adarsh Behera, a resident of Kotakana village in Jagatsinghpur district, arrived in Bhubaneswar on Wednesday morning. He was abducted by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia in Sudan.

As per reports, Behera travelled from Abu Dhabi to Hyderabad late last night and reached Bhubaneswar airport this morning. He was greeted by his family members.

The Jagatsinghpur MP Bibhu Prasad Tarai said that he had raised the issue in Lok Sabha and urged the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) to intervene for the safe release of the abducted man.

Worth-mentioning, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi had sought urgent intervention from the MEA in November for Adarsh’s rescue. The Chief Minister had also asked senior officials to initiate all necessary steps to ensure his safe return.

Adarsh had been working as a machine operator in a plastic factory in Sudan since 2022. He was abducted at gunpoint from Al-Fashir, about 1,000 km from the Sudanese capital Khartoum, and is believed to be held in Nyala by RSF rebels.

A video has also surfaced showing Adarsh sitting with folded hands before the rebels, pleading for help. In the video, he said he had been living in Sudan under difficult conditions for two years and urged the Odisha government to ensure his safe rescue.