T’gana man ‘abducted’ by rebels in Mali, family seeks govt help to trace him

A 23-year-old Telangana man working in Mali was allegedly abducted by rebels, prompting his distressed family to seek urgent help from central and state governments. Another worker from Andhra Pradesh is also missing under similar circumstances, with both cases under official verification

Hyderabad: A 23-year-old man from Yadadri Bhuvanagiri district of Telangana has been “abducted” by rebels in Mali, and his family has requested help from the central and state governments to secure his release.

N Praveen from Banda Somaram village of Yadadri Bhuvanagiri district, working as a supervisor in a borewell drilling company, was kidnapped on November 23 in the West African nation, the company informed the family.

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The parents of the victim have appealed to the central and state governments to intervene.

Praveen’s family and relatives on Saturday approached the local police seeking to know his whereabouts.

“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,” a senior police official said on Sunday.

Praveen’s brother, Naveen, said his brother had left for Mali in November 2024 and was employed as a supervisor in the borewell drilling company there.

He said they were 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,” he told media and appealed to the governments to make efforts to trace his brother.

According to Praveen’s father, Jangaiah, the company owners have assured the family that his son would be released. They mentioned similar past incidents involving rebels demanding 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 and requested the Prime Minister and Telangana Chief Minister to take immediate measures for the release of his son.

A day before the (abduction) incident, Praveen had told that he was going to a remote area for work and might not be reachable due to network issues.

“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,” an inconsolable mother appealed to the government.

In a related incident, a 26-year-old man from Talapula Mandal in Sri Satya Sai district of Andhra Pradesh has gone missing in an African country, his family claimed on December 4.

According to a police official, authorities believe that he was abducted by rebels there while returning from work.

K Ramachandran’s relative Sai Kumar said his uncle went missing in Mali, West Africa and he has been working there as a borewell operator for the past one year.

The company Ramachandran works for contacted his family, informing them that he was kidnapped on November 23.