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6d ago

Mali Captors Demand Ransom for Three Abducted Indian Workers

New Delhi is coordinating with Malian authorities through its Bamako embassy to secure the hostages’ release

The al-Qaeda-linked JNIM extremist group claimed responsibility for the coordinated attack on several Malian army positions
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Representational image of an al-Qaeda militant | Commons

Overview

  • The captors have made ransom demands for the three Indian workers seized in a July 1 attack on the Diamond Cement Factory in Kayes.
  • New Delhi condemned the hostage-taking and the Ministry of External Affairs is working through the Indian embassy in Bamako to press Malian authorities for a swift resolution.
  • P Venkatraman, a 28-year-old technician from Odisha employed by Blue Star under a Prasaditya Group contract, is among the abductees alongside two colleagues from Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.
  • Families have lodged police complaints and appealed for their safe return, with BJD president Naveen Patnaik urging EAM Jaishankar to intervene personally.
  • Security agencies suspect the Al-Qaeda-linked Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin extremist group orchestrated the assault, part of a broader insurgency targeting foreign nationals in Mali.