BHUBANESWAR: Six people from Odisha have thanked god, Operation Kaveri, and the Indian government after reaching safely here from conflict-torn Sudan.

The returnees, who are from the districts of Khurda, Balasore, Bhadrak, and Jagatsinghpur, told the reporters their terrifying tales as they touched down at the Biju Patnaik International Airport here on Friday.

They claimed that the paramilitary soldiers took all of their food, cash, and mobile phones at gunpoint while also taking all of their belongings. They were evacuated on a ship operated by the Indian Navy to Saudi Arabia with assistance from the Indian Embassy, and from there they were flown back to India.

According to Pabitra Mohan Pradhan, a returnee from the Ganjam district, they arrived in Bhubaneswar after arriving in Delhi with the assistance of the Odisha government.

Pradhan claimed that he was residing in the heavily bombed and shot-up region of the war-torn Khartoum. "The assault started on April 15." Our stay there lasted until April 24. We would have perished if we had remained there for one or two more days, he claimed.

Another returnee, Amar Kumar Bal, stated, "The paramilitary troops damaged our Indian canteen in our workplace and stole all of my savings and mobile phone. Around our company, there were explosions all over the place. For nine days, we were unable to sleep due to our extreme fear. Since 2017, I have been residing there. There have previously been conflicts between the army and a paramilitary organisation. But they weren't as bad as the current one," he said.

Another returnee, Basant Kumar Mishra, described his terrifying experience, saying that he and the other workers from his company were plundered under threat of violence.

"We spent around nine hours being held at gunpoint. Our possessions were all stolen. We might be able to contact the Indian Embassy in Sudan and perhaps spare our lives, Mishra said.

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