A week after three Indian nationals were abducted by armed militants in Mali, their families in India say they are still in the dark about their loved ones’ condition and location, sparking mounting concern and emotional distress. The men Panad Venkatramana, Amaralingaeswara Rao, and a third yet-to-be-named individual were forcibly taken from the Diamond Cement Factory in Kayes city, operated by the Indian-based Prasaditya Group, on Tuesday, 1 July 2025.
India’s Ministry of External Affairs confirmed that the workers were kidnapped by a group of armed assailants and urged Indian citizens residing in Mali to remain vigilant and maintain close contact with the Indian embassy in Bamako. Despite this assurance, the Malian government has yet to officially comment on the incident.
The abductions occurred on the same day an al-Qaeda-linked jihadist group, Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), claimed responsibility for a wave of coordinated attacks on military outposts across Mali a West African nation grappling with persistent instability since the outbreak of an Islamist insurgency in 2012. According to the Global Terrorism Index (GTI), the Sahel region where Mali is located, has become the epicenter of global terrorism, accounting for over 50% of terrorism-related deaths worldwide.
Relatives of the abducted men are pleading for updates and support from both the Indian and Malian governments. Narsamma, mother of Panad Venkatramana from Odisha, told BBC Telugu she last spoke to her son on June 30. Days later, the family was notified by the company via a vague call they could not fully understand. They only realized he had been kidnapped after watching news reports.
Venkatramana, an engineer at the cement factory, had been in Mali to support his family financially. The family has since filed a police complaint in Odisha and received backing from former state chief minister Naveen Patnaik, who called on India’s Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar to personally intervene and ensure the men’s swift and safe return.
In the southern states of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, the family of Amaralingaeswara Rao, who worked as an assistant general manager at the same factory, are facing similar uncertainty. Rao, a father of three, had moved to Mali eight years ago for better income and was planning to visit home in October. Now his family says they have no idea if or when they will see him again.
The incident follows a similar case in April, when five Indian citizens were kidnapped in neighboring Niger during a violent raid that left more than a dozen soldiers dead. There has been no update on their fate either, raising broader questions about the safety of Indian workers in conflict-prone West African nations.
India has maintained diplomatic and trade relations with Mali since the 1990s, with around 400 Indian citizens currently living in the country. The growing instability, fueled by jihadist violence and weakened governance, poses increasing risks to foreign nationals and local communities alike.
As the families continue their agonizing wait, calls are intensifying for greater accountability, swifter diplomatic action, and reinforced protective measures for Indian expatriates working in high-risk regions like the Sahel.
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