Bhubaneswar: A 28-year-old man from Odisha is among three Indian nationals abducted by Al-Qaeda-linked militants in Mali amid a wave of attacks in the West African country.
According to reports, P Venkatraman of Samarjhola village in Ganjam district’s Hinjili block, employed at the Diamond Cement Factory in Kaye, was taken hostage during a coordinated assault on July 1.
His mother, P Narasamma filed a written complaint with the Hinjilicut police station, seeking his safe return, on Friday.
According to the complaint, Venkataramana had been working at Blue Star, a Mumbai-based company, for the past six months. He was sent by the company to Diamond Cement Company in Mali, West Africa, where he was abducted two days ago by an Al-Qaeda-affiliated terrorist group along with two other Indian workers. A Blue Star official from Mumbai reached out to his family, urging them not to worry. Distraught, the family attempted to contact him, but his phone was found switched off.
Venkatraman’s mother then hurried to the Hinjilicut police station, submitting a written plea for her son’s safe rescue.
According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), a group of armed men stormed the factory premises and took the three Indians hostage. While terming the incident as a “deplorable act of violence”, it has urged the Malian authorities to ensure the safe and expeditious release of the abducted Indians. “The Government of India… calls upon the Government of the Republic of Mali to take all necessary measures to secure the safe and expeditious release of the abducted Indian nationals.”
The MEA further stated that the Indian Embassy in Bamako is in “close and constant” communication with the relevant Malian authorities, local law enforcement agencies, and the management of the Diamond Cement Factory, as well as the families of the abducted Indian nationals. It has also urged all Indians in Mali to stay alert and “exercise utmost caution.”