Making all efforts to free Indian national kidnapped in Niger: Union Minister

India Today

22-07-2025

The government is making all efforts to ensure the safe release of Ranjit Singh, an Indian national from Jammu and Kashmir who was kidnapped during a terror attack in Niger, Union Minister Jitendra Singh said on Tuesday. He added that the Indian Embassy in Niamey, the capital of Niger, is working diligently to secure his release.Singh was reportedly kidnapped by armed men on July 15, during an attack in the Dosso region, about 140 kilometres from Niamey, in which two other Indian nationals were killed. He was working as a senior safety officer at Transrail Lighting Limited, an integrated power transmission and distribution company in the West African country.advertisement"In response to continuous follow-up by my office, the Ministry of External Affairs has sent the following response based on the inputs received from the Indian Embassy in Niamay, Niger. The Indian embassy in Niamay is continuously on the job and trying to get Ranjit Singh released from the alleged kidnappers," the minister tweeted, sharing the Embassy's response.
The Embassy's statement read, "Embassy are aware of the tragic incident where two Indian nationals lost their lives and the other (Mr. Ranjeet Singh) was kidnapped on 15 July 2025. The embassy is in contact with the host government for the repatriation of mortal remains of the deceased at the earliest and safety and early release of the abducted one".
Singh's family said that they lost contact with him on the same day of the attack. "We talked on WhatsApp on July 15 and since then, I have not been able to contact him. I called his management and was initially told that there is no network at the work site," his wife Sheela Devi said.According to her, the family learned about her husband's kidnap the next day through his friend, even as the management maintained that he had fled deep into the forest following the terror attack. She also alleged that her repeated attempts to reach out to the company were met with cold responses."I do not know what kind of situation my husband is in. I do not have any idea about the efforts of the local government," Devi told news agency PTI on Saturday.Niger has been witnessing a surge in violence, with foreign nationals increasingly targeted by armed groups. This year alone, several people, including aid workers and expatriates, have been kidnapped, with the recent attack on Indians being the latest in a series of such incidents.The security situation in Niger has significantly worsened since a military coup in July 2023. The coup has led to an escalation of violence, especially in rural areas, where armed groups affiliated with al-Qaida and the Islamic State have intensified their activities.- Ends
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