Indian escapes Philippines terror group’s captivity after 14 months

From Koilandi in Kozhikode district of Kerala,36-year-old Biju was working as an operations manager for garment company Bronze Al Tawooz in Kuwait when he was abducted on June 22,2011. A father of two,he was visiting his Filipino wife’s family in Patikul at the time. In March,the local media had reported that the Sulu police believed Biju had been killed by the Abu Sayyaf because his family could not pay ransom.

Biju said the kidnappers “started from US $10 million and came down to US $1 million”. The son of an ex-serviceman,he believes he was not harmed because he is a Muslim.

“Whenever I used to get depressed,I used to think of my wife Elena and kids,seven-year-old Arjun and five-year-old Ajay. I told myself in the darkest moments that I should be alive for my family. There was no choice… I told myself that I should be patient,” Biju said. Soon after his release,he met his family and called up his parents in Kozhikode.

Biju said he timed his escape for Ramzan because he knew his captors got tired after a day of fasting and slept soundly. “I had watched their pattern… and realised they were not very alert during this time.”

For the past few days,he had also made a habit of going to the toilet two-three times in the night so that nobody would get suspicious when he got up. “I used the opportunity to slip out and kept running for an hour-and-a half before I got out of the jungle and reached some habitation. It was dark,but I could see my way in the moonlight,” he said.

It helped that the captors had stopped tying up his hands and legs,having dropped their guard after having him in custody for so long.

Senior Superintendent Antonio Freyra,the Sulu police chief,said Biju was found by residents of a Parang village before dawn today. While 20 kg lighter,he otherwise appears to be in good health.

Biju’s father K Narayanan said he had called around 2.45 am to inform them about his escape. “I could not believe it when I heard my son’s voice… He told us he was calling from a police station. They have not hurt him,we were told.”

It was the first time they were hearing his voice after August 2011,when he had managed to call from captivity.

The family is thankful to Minister of State for Home Affairs Mullappally Ramachandran,who played a significant role in the backroom negotiations. Biju belongs to his constituency. A Home Ministry official had been holding monthly review meetings with MEA officials to assess the progress of the case. A core group had been formed by the Indian Embassy to handle the negotiations,though it was made clear that the government would not succumb to terrorist demands.

Last November,the negotiations had taken a hit after Elena’s brother got into a tussle with one of the abductors just when a settlement seemed likely. A reperesentative of the abductors had been killed in a shootout. “This made matters worse. There were no further negotiations and contact till some months after that. The kidnappers were very particular that unless a representative of the Indian government directly participated in the negotiations,they would kill Biju,” the official said.

Biju’s wife was brought in to directly negotiate while a core group reportedly deployed 234 secret agents around the forest area where the terrorist group was believed to be moving with their victims.

Known for kidnappings,beheadings and bombings,the Abu Sayyaf is is on the US list of terrorist groups. The group is believed to be currently holding Australian,Malaysian and Japanese nationals.

Officials said Biju’s wife had also expressed fears about the safety of her children following threats. Bringing her children to India was considered as an option till the local government ensured their safety.

Biju said he wanted to return to India as soon as possible. “I spoke to Mullappally Ramachandran and thanked him… I will be meeting the governor of the province tomorrow,because he can hand me over to the Indian authorities,and then I can return.”

Asked if he would consider visiting the Philippines again,Biju was silent. “It is a very difficult question… My wife’s family is here,I visit them… But I hope I won’t come back here.”

with PTI in Manila