Eight months after they were abducted by an armed militant group in West Africa’s Niger, five migrant workers from Jharkhand have been released safely following sustained coordination between the state government, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), the Indian Embassy and the employer, the Jharkhand government said Friday.
The workers, Sanjay Mahto, Raju Mahto, Chandrika Mahto, Faljit Mahto and Uttam Mahto, all residents of Bagodar in Giridih district, were kidnapped in April last year while working with Kalpataru Power Transmission Limited (KPTL) in Niger.
The Jharkhand State Migrant Control Room (SMCR) has confirmed that all five are safe and in contact with officials, and that arrangements are being made to bring them back to the state after medical examination and completion of formalities.
Chief Minister Hemant Soren, who had taken up the matter soon after the abduction, had directed the SMCR to coordinate with the company, the Protector of Emigrants under the MEA and the Indian Embassy in Niamey for their safe release and return.
Abduction and captivity
The abduction took place on April 25, 2025, when armed militants opened fire near a KPTL project site in Niger as Indian and local workers were returning after lunch. As workers attempted to flee in a company vehicle, several of them were intercepted and taken away by the attackers, who were moving in groups on motorcycles. Survivors later told officials that the firing continued for nearly half an hour, after which five workers from Jharkhand and one local resident went missing. The incident was later confirmed to be part of a larger militant operation in which several local citizens and foreign workers were taken hostage.
During the workers’ captivity period, the Jharkhand government said it ensured that their families were covered under various social security schemes through the Giridih district administration. This included coverage under ration cards, Ayushman Bharat health cards, MGNREGA job cards, pensions, housing schemes, Ujjwala connections, Jal Jeevan Mission tap connections and e-Shram registration, among others. The company was also directed to continue depositing salaries into the workers’ bank accounts.
The kidnapping had triggered panic among other Indian workers at the site in Niger, with several expressing a desire to return home amid security concerns.
