ALAPPUZHA/KOTTAYAM: “We expect to reach home in two to three days. I don’t know who all to thank,” Akhil Reghu sounded excited on the other side of the phone. Akhil, one among the three Keralites released by Houthi rebels of Yemen on Saturday after 112 days of captivity, was talking to TNIE from Oman on Sunday.
Besides Akhil, a native of Avoor in Alappuzha, Deepash, 37, of Meppayyoor in Kozhikode and Sreejith Sajeevan, 28, of Kaippuzha in Kottayam are the Keralites among the seven Indians who were on board a UAE-flagged ship hijacked by the rebels.
“We have reached Oman by a chartered flight from Sana. The captors were cordial to the crew, especially Indians. We are thankful to the Union government and the Djibouti ambassador for the efforts they took to secure our release,” he said.
The news of Akhil’s release triggered celebrations at his home, doubling the joy of his wife Jithina’s return from war-torn Ukraine nearly 50 days back. Jithina, who was doing her final year MBBS at the Kyiv Medical University, was stranded there after Russia invaded Ukraine even as Akhil was in captivity. TNIE had reported the plight of the couple and it gained the attention of international media.
“The entire family is relieved... We are eagerly waiting for his arrival,” Jithina said. After their marriage on August 20 last year, the two had left for their respective destinations in September. Akhil rejoined the company after 14 days of quarantine on October 10.
Akhil’s brother Rahul, who is working in another ship of the same company, said: “The hijack of the ship and the Ukraine war shattered us. Then good news started coming. First, Jithina’s safe return after spending several days in bunker and now the news about Akhil’s release. Yes, we are a relieved lot now,” Rahul, who is now on leave, said. “Djibouti ambassador R Chandramouli was of great help in securing the release of the detainees,” Rahul said.
‘Shipping co also played a major role in their release’
“He coordinated with the rebels and the Yemen government. The shipping company also played a great role,” Rahul said. Thulasi Sajeevan, mother of Sreejith who was released along with Akhil, found it difficult to express her feelings after her only son called her on phone on Sunday. “My prayers are answered... Sreejith used to call me on a few occasions from captivity and told me that he was safe...But I prayed to God,” she told TNIE in between sobs of joy. It was on March 10, 2020 that Sreejith left for the UAE to join M/V Rwabee, an Emeratiflagged cargo ship.
Things were going fine till January 2 when Sreejith rang up his mother and said his ship was attacked by Houthi rebels and all the employees, including three Malayalees, were detained. All the detainees were shifted to a hotel under the custody of the rebels. Thereafter, Thulasi knocked on all doors for the release of her son. “I contacted the UAE Embassy in Mumbai and wrote to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan seeking his intervention. In the meantime, Akhil’s wife was also in constant touch with me and we jointly initiated all possible efforts towards their release.
Though all of them promised to take steps to facilitate the release, it was delayed for a long time,” Thulasi said. “Everyone said my son was safe and there was no need to worry. Sreejith called me when rebels occasionally allowed him to call relatives from their phone. However, I was always worried about his return,” Thulasi, currently working as a nursing assistant at the Government Medical College Hospital, Kottayam.
The ship had a 11-member crew, seven Indians and one each from the Philippines, Indonesia, Myanmar, and Ethiopia. It was hijacked near the port city of Hodeidah, around 50km from the Yemen coast on January 2. The ship was transporting hospital equipment from a closed field hospital on Yemen’s Socotra Island to the Saudi Arabian city of Jazan.
The Iranian-backed Houthi rebels alleged that the vessel was carrying military equipment, including weapons and ammunition, and had entered Yemeni territorial waters without authorisation. Saudi Arabia is leading a military coalition to restore the internationally recognised government of Yemen after a coup by the Houthis in 2014 sparked a civil war. The situation in Yemen has been described by the UN as the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.
Seven Indians on hijacked ship