A 23-year-old man from the Yadadri Bhuvanagiri district of Telangana has reportedly been abducted by rebels in Mali, prompting his distressed family to seek urgent help from the central and state governments to secure his release. The victim, N Praveen from Banda Somaram village, was working as a supervisor for a borewell drilling company when he was kidnapped on November 23rd in the West African nation, information his company conveyed to the family.
Praveen's family and relatives approached the local police on Saturday seeking details of his whereabouts. A senior police official told the media on Sunday: "We also got to know about the incident yesterday from one of his relatives. There is no official report about the kidnapping. We have informed the Embassy authorities in this regard and are awaiting confirmation. We are assisting the family."
Praveen's brother, Naveen, said Praveen had left for Mali in November 2024. The family was informed by the company’s owners that Praveen was kidnapped by rebels along with some other workers while returning from work.
"It has been two weeks since the incident. We are distressed. My parents are not able to have food because of this," Naveen told media and appealed to the governments to make efforts to trace his brother.
Praveen's father, Jangaiah, said the company owners had assured the family his son would be released, mentioning similar past incidents where rebels demanded ransom. "When I spoke to him I had told Praveen to come back home. He said that he would stay there for another two months... We are not able to understand what is happening," Jangaiah said, requesting the Prime Minister and Telangana Chief Minister to take immediate action.
Praveen's mother tearfully appealed: "He used to speak to me over the phone daily. We did not expect this to happen. It's been 14 days now. Where is he? Please save my son."
In a related incident, a 26-year-old man, K Ramachandran, from Talapula Mandal in Andhra Pradesh’s Sri Satya Sai district, was also claimed by his family to have gone missing in an African country since December 4. A police official indicated that authorities believe Ramachandran, who was working in Mali as a borewell operator for the past year, was abducted by rebels while returning from work on November 23, a detail confirmed by his company to his relative, Sai Kumar.
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