An Indian citizen was captured in war-torn Yemen by Houthi rebels at the beginning of July, but was finally released almost five months later. The man, who was an Anilkumar Raveendran of Kerala, arrived at the capital of Oman, Muscat, and was about to head to India when the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) confirmed the fact on Wednesday.
Raveendran was onboard the cargo ship of the MV Eternity C, which is a Liberia registered bulk carrier that was assaulted by Houthi rebels on the Southern Red Sea on July 7. Sea drones and rocket-propelled grenades were used to target the ship which was left in a very bad condition. It later sunk within two days. Some of the 25 crew members were rescued in the pursue, but some, like Raveendran, were initially thought dead or missing. Later reports affirmed that some 10 crewmembers had been held captive by the Houthis.
The MEA came out with a short-note that Raveendran had been released and was grateful to the Sultanate of Oman that played an important role in ensuring safe passage. The Government of India is pleased to see the release of Indian crew member Mr. Anilkumar Raveendran on board MV Eternity C and detained in Yemen since 07 July 2025. He arrived at Muscat yesterday and has been supposed to be returning to India in the near future. The statement had noted that India had been liaising with other parties to guarantee his free release.
The MV Eternity C attack was part of a larger trend of Houthi rebels attacking commercial ships in the Red Sea to disrupt major shipping routes in the world. The assault had killed at least four crewmembers, others being rescued by passing ships or international sea forces.
The safe release of Raveendran not only brings joy to his family members but also it is a diplomatic victory of India which had collaborated with Oman and other regional allies to achieve safe release of Raveendran.
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