Odisha man taken hostage in Sudan returns to family

After remaining hostage for 45 days in Sudan, 36-year-old Adarsh Behera from Odisha returned to the state on Wednesday, bringing relief and cheer to his family and well-wishers.

Welcoming his safe return, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi said the state government had taken the matter with utmost seriousness from the moment it was informed about Behera’s disappearance. In a post on X, Majhi said, “It is a matter of immense joy that Adarsh Kumar Behera, a young Odia man from Jagatsinghpur district who had gone missing in Sudan, is returning to his homeland safely.”

“We had been continuously coordinating with the Ministry of External Affairs to ensure his safe rescue. Through the swift actions of the Government of India and cooperation with international mediators, Adarsh is returning to his family today,” Majhi said. He thanked the Ministry of External Affairs and the Indian Embassy in Sudan for this successful mission.

“The safety and well-being of every Odia, whether within the state or abroad, is the top priority of our government. In times of crisis, we are always and forever by your side,” he said.

Behera had gone missing from Al-Fashir city in Sudan’s North Darfur state. The Indian government secured his release with the help of international interlocutors, a senior official said.

Upon his release, Behera, who was received by his family, including his three-year-old son, at the Biju Patnaik international airport here, said. “It is a rebirth for me. I was not expecting to remain alive after being abducted by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia in Sudan. They tortured me a lot, denied food for days and put me in a jail and forced to walk in the jungle. Thank God that they did not kill me. Everything was possible for them,” he told reporters.

Behera, who hails from Kotakana village in Jagatsinghpur district, went to the civil war-torn Sudan in 2022 and worked as a mechanic in a plastic factory.

After being released from captivity, Behera travelled from Abu Dhabi to Hyderabad late on Tuesday night and reached Bhubaneswar airport this morning.

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

Behera’s wife said, “I would request the Odisha government and CM Majhi to arrange an employment for my husband in any plastic factory in the state so that he would not require to go other country for eking a living.”