Kin Seek Govts' Intervention To Secure Swift Release of 5 Tamil Nadu Men Abducted in Mali

Thoothukudi: Anxious families of five men from Tamil Nadu abducted in Mali have sought immediate intervention of the government to secure their quick release.

The men — identified as Puthiyavan from Thoothukudi, Ponnudurai, Pechimuthu and Suresh and Isakki Raj from Tenkasi— were reportedly kidnapped at gunpoint on November 6 while working on a power tower installation project.

According to their family members, Puthivan from Kodiyankulam area next to Ottapidaram in Thoothukudi district, Ponnudurai from Naraikinaru village and Pechimuthu from Kalabhai Patti area went to Mali in West Africa last March through an agent named Kodiyankulam Mariappan for tower construction work.

Their families came to know about the abduction through the agents who took them in the African country. Five days after they were abducted, the kin of the three kidnapped people from Thoothukudi gathered at the Thoothukudi District Collectorate seeking information on their whereabouts. They met Thoothukudi District Collector Ilam Bhagwat and requested measures for ensuring their swift and safe release.

Bhagwat said that the Union Ministry of External Affairs has been informed about the incident and action will be taken soon.

He continued, "The terrorists have demanded 30 million as ransom for the release of abducted people. Family members are spending anxious days now as their condition is not known. Now, kin want the central and state governments to take timely steps to safely rescue the abducted people."

Terrorist groups are quite active in the West African country since 2020. This has worsened the security situation in the country which is facing an economic crisis.

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