A female boxer and gym trainer from Guwahati in Assam, India, has been reportedly held captive by her ‘social media friend’ in Nigeria
The victim identified as Barnali Baurah Saikia suddenly went to Nigeria on 28 October to meet a Nigerian man she met online through her husband.
However, she had no contact with her family for the next three days. She did, however, manage to contact her family on the fourth day and let them know about her predicament.
She had been allegedly abducted by her social media friend, a young man named King and his aide Daniel. Her family said that they have received ransom calls from the Nigerian man, after which they have filed an FIR with the police.
Bornali’s husband, Nayan Saikia, introduced her and family members to the Nigerian youth about six months back on social media. He came to know the family well. Barnali and King grew close to each other through chats and video calls after that.
After suddenly deciding to meet him, Barnali Saikia packed her bags and travelled to Nigeria on 28th October, taking a flight to Lagos from Bengaluru.
However, this wasn’t a happy encounter between the ‘friends’ as he snatched away her visa, passport and cash after he came to receive her at the airport.
In the meanwhile, King called the family members, asking for ransom in exchange for her release. He called her parents demanding ransom with threats. After that, the family filed an FIR with the police.
“On October 28 my mother went to Bangalore to Lagos in Nigeria along with my father’s acquaintance. It was all fine in the beginning but in the last few days she has not been given food and basically, she has been abducted,” informed the victim’s daughter. Furthermore, she mentioned that her mother left on a 14-day visa on 28 October. Her tourist visa has already expired.
Her family has filed a formal complaint with the Dispur Police station and stated that Barnali Baurah Saikia was not allowed to reach the airport by King despite having a return ticket booked by her husband on 13 November at 10:45 pm.
Her husband Nayan Saikia said that initially Barnali was kept at a hotel, and later she was shifted to a room. He said that he has already transferred around ₹5.5-6 lakh to King.
Revealing how his wife was rescued from the clutches of the captors, Nayan informed that it happened with the help of the media and Nigerian nationals who were studying in Assam.
“When the news was broadcasting on media channels, the Nigerian students who were studying here contacted their country to inform them of the situation. Furthermore, my friend owns a hotel in Nigeria, 40 km away from the place where my wife was held hostage. He also helped us with the rescue. They put efforts to persuade them saying they would land into trouble if she was not released immediately. Eventually, they had to release her and she reached Mumbai on November 18.”
While speaking on the few reports citing police officials that it was not a case of ‘kidnap’, Nayan said, “I don’t know what the appropriate term media or police would use, but my wife, Barnali, was indeed held captive by the miscreants and we were demanded ransom for her release. All I know and care about is that my wife is safe and with her family.”
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