He was promised security in Afghanistan, says family

Even as news of the killing broke, the family waited for clarification that the body found in Zabul was not that of Suryanarayana as negotiations were on. The entire household had been tracking news channels through the night for updates on the negotiations and for any news on Suryanarayana.

This morning, fighting back tears, K Chandrasekhar, the engineer’s father who had retired as a deputy collector, said Suryanarayana preferred to work outside the country only because he could not get a job of his choice in India.

The security situation, he said, was worrying but ‘‘he never discussed it with us’’.

‘‘They (the Taliban) have set a deadline but murdered him before it expired and when the Indian officials were negotiating with the abductors.’’

Relatives said Suryanarayana had managed to avoid working in unsafe locations but when he rejoined work this March after his vacation, he was asked to go to Afghanistan.

‘‘Whenever we asked about the security cover, he joked that there was security even in his bathroom,’’ his brother-in-law K Varun Santhosh said.

‘‘He called us on Thursday, a day before he was kidnapped, and enquired about our well being. He also informed us that he would be leaving for work on the border of Pakistan along with his colleagues in four cars and return within a day,’’ Chandrasekhar said.

GK Madhu Kiran who worked with Suryanarayan for about a year in the Bahrain-based Almoayed, said they were sent to Afghanistan to supervise work. ‘‘Every Indian knows the security threat, especially those working in southern Afghanistan near the Pakistan border,’’ said Madhu. ‘‘As the security threat increased even in the northern part, I returned to India about six months ago,’’ added Madhu.