New Delhi: Indian authorities say they are making all efforts to trace a man from Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh in a purported video who claims to be in trouble in Saudi Arabia.
The video has now gone viral on social media. It shows the man saying that he is being held against his will in the Gulf nation.
“Embassy has been trying to locate the person. No further action can be taken as the video does not contain any details about the location/province in Saudi Arabia, or contact number or employer details,” the Indian Embassy in Saudi Arabia posted on X.
It has also appealed to Delhi-based lawyer Kalpana Shrivastav, who shared the video online, to help provide more information. “@Lawyer_Kalpana please seek details from the source of the video you have posted,” the Embassy said.
Indian diplomats have also reached out to authorities in Uttar Pradesh, posting: “As the person says that he is from Prayagraj district, @DM_PRAYAGRAJ @Sp_prayag @prayagraj_pol may also reach out to his family and advise them to write to us at cw.riyadh@mea.gov.in.”
In the video, the man is shown speaking in Bhojpuri with a camel in the background. He claims that he is being held against his will in Saudi Arabia. It has drawn wide attention online, garnering over 140,000 views within 24 hours.
“My village is in Allahabad… I came to Saudi Arabia. Kapil has my passport. I told him I need to go home, but he is threatening to kill me,” the man says.
“Brother, share this video, share it so much that, with your support from India, I can get help and come back to India. If you are a Muslim, Hindu or anyone – brother, wherever you are – please help. Please help me, I will die; I need to go to my mother. Share this video as much as possible. Look, there is nobody here nearby, nobody is here – look brother, I will die. Share this video so much that it should reach up to the Prime Minister,” the man adds.
Srivastava tagged external affairs minister S Jaishankar and wrote: “Honorable Foreign Minister @DrSJaishankar ji, please take immediate cognizance, a resident of Prayagraj Handia Pratappur is stuck in Saudi Arabia.”
She has also appealed to the public to amplify the video, writing that wider circulation could help authorities trace and assist the man.
The Indian Embassy has urged anyone with credible information – including the man’s family in Prayagraj – to contact it directly.