Bhubaneswar

A 36-year-old man from Odisha, who was held hostage for 45 days in war-torn Sudan, returned home on Wednesday, bringing relief to his family and prompting the state’s chief minister to thank the Centre for its intervention.

Adarsh Behera, a resident of Jagatsinghpur district, arrived at the Biju Patnaik International Airport here after his release was secured with the help of international interlocutors, officials said.

Welcoming his safe return, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi said the state government had taken the matter seriously from the moment it was informed about Behera’s disappearance.

“It is a matter of immense joy that Adarsh Kumar Behera, a young Odia man who had gone missing in Sudan, is returning safely to his homeland,” Majhi said in a post on X.

He said the Odisha government had been in constant coordination with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and thanked the MEA and the Indian Embassy in Sudan for their efforts in ensuring Behera’s release.

“The safety and well-being of every Odia, whether within the state or abroad, is our top priority,” the chief minister said.

Behera had gone missing from Al-Fashir city in Sudan’s North Darfur state, where he was working as a mechanic in a plastic factory since 2022. A senior official said the Indian government facilitated his release through diplomatic channels.

Speaking to reporters after being reunited with his family, including his three-year-old son, Behera said he had been abducted by the Rapid Support Forces militia and subjected to torture, prolonged hunger and forced movement.

“It feels like a rebirth. I did not expect to survive,” he said.

After his release, Behera travelled from Abu Dhabi to Hyderabad on Tuesday night and reached Bhubaneswar on Wednesday morning.

Jagatsinghpur MP Bibhu Prasad Tarai said he had raised the issue in the Lok Sabha and urged the MEA to intervene.

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Behera’s wife appealed to the Odisha government to help arrange employment for her husband within the state so that he would not have to seek work abroad again.