‘Saw news of his abduction on YouTube’: Indian workers abducted in Mali; whereabouts still unknown; rescue efforts on to trace victims

HYDERABAD: What should have been a day of celebration turned into a nightmare for the family of Kurakula Amaralingeswara Rao, a Telangana native who was abducted by suspected militants in Mali on July 1, which apparently was his birthday.

That morning, he stopped responding to calls. The following day, the family learned he had been abducted during a terror attack at the Diamond Cement factory in Kayes city in western Mali."My husband's birthday was on July 1," said his wife Venkataramana. "He had spoken to me the previous night, asking about our son's injury. That was our last conversation," she said.The family, originally from Adavidevulapally near Miryalaguda, had recently shifted to LB Nagar in Hyderabad.

"We have now returned to Miryalaguda to stay with other family members because we are under tremendous stress," she said.

Amaralingeswara Rao had travelled to Mali about eight months ago for work. Company officials have informed the family that they are making efforts for the safe release of Rao and two other Indians, including Panda Venkatramana, a 28-year-old from a Telugu-speaking family settled in Ganjam district of Odisha.

'Indian embassy in Mali coordinating with officials to trace, rescue victims' Venkatramana's family approached the Hinjili police on Friday, desperate for information after receiving conflicting reports from the company, which is owned by Hyderabad-based Prasaditya Group. "His mother P Narasamma said the company first told her that her son was taken into police custody. But later, she saw news reports on YouTube saying he was abducted by militants. She was alarmed and approached us," said Hinjili police station SI Sunil.A general diary entry was recorded by Hinjili police, but no FIR has been filed yet. Venkatramana last spoke to his family on June 30. The next day, they were told he was in custody. But subsequent news confirmed that three Indian nationals, including two from the Telugu states, and a Chinese national were reportedly abducted by Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), an al-Qaeda-affiliated terror group.His brother-in-law, P Babloo, expressed frustration over the company's inconsistent communication.

"We are in complete shock. At first, they said he was in custody. Later they admitted he was abducted and said ransom talks were underway. We don't know what to believe. We just want the Indian govt to bring him back safely," he said.Venkatramana had previously worked in Hyderabad for an escalator company before joining Bluestar and eventually moving to Mali, where he was employed in quality control. "He stayed with us before flying out.

We had no idea that he would end up in such danger," Babloo added.His father had passed away a few years ago, and his mother, who resides in Odisha, is waiting anxiously for her son's whereabouts.Meanwhile, the ministry of external affairs has confirmed the abductions and said the Indian embassy in Bamako, capital of Mali, is coordinating with authorities there and the employer to trace and rescue the victims. News reports also confirmed that three Indian nationals, and a Chinese worker were abducted by members of JNIM.So far, no militant group has publicly claimed responsibility or made any demands.