A Man Who Was Missing For 27 Years Was Found Alive: His Neighbor Had Kidnapped Him In A Hole

Today’s case begins in 1997, in the midst of the incessant roar of the Algerian civil war.

It was then that Omar bin Omran, a 17-year-old boy, disappeared without a trace while walking to a nearby educational center in Djelfa.

The conflict, which enveloped Algeria in a spiral of violence between the government and the Islamist rebel groups, had left a trail of blood and despair. Omar’s family, like so many others, assumed the worst: that he had been a victim of the brutality of the conflict.

The Algerian civil war, which lasted for a whole decade, was a dark period in the country’s history. More than 200,000 people lost their lives and about 20,000 were kidnapped. In this chaos, Omar’s disappearance was confused among the statistics of everyday tragedies.

His family, however, never stopped looking for answers. Over the years, his mother, until her death in 2013, kept alive the hope that his son would return one day. This longing became his last wish, a persistent plea to the authorities to continue the search.

On May 12, after 27 years of uncertainty, the incredible truth came to light. Omar was found just 200 meters from his home, in a hole covered with hay. He was kidnapped with 17 and now he is 45.

The person responsible for his confinement, a 61-year-old neighbor identified as BA, had kept Omar captive for almost three decades. This discovery came about thanks to an inheritance dispute that led the captor’s brother to reveal the secret on social networks. The images of the rescue showed an Omar visibly affected, with a long beard and trembling while security agents took him out of the dark dungeon that had been his prison.

Omar bin Omran, after being rescued, told an incredible story to his saviors. During the long years of captivity, he had had moments when he could see his family from his underground prison, but he could never ask for help. The reason? A spell, according to him, cast by his captor to keep him silent. This statement, although incredible for many, resonated deeply in the local culture, where beliefs in sorcery and enchantments still persist.

Omar described his helplessness and the constant terror he felt, trapped not only physically, but also spiritually.

During the years of the search, the dog of Omar’s family was an important character since, according to reports of close people, the pet used to approach to sniff the house where the victim was found. For this reason, it is presumed that the kidnapper poisoned the animal and threw its body in front of its neighbors’ house.

Omar’s kidnapping and prolonged disappearance remained in the dark until a family dispute brought his whereabouts to light. The captor’s brother, in the midst of a conflict over an inheritance, decided to reveal the secret he had kept for years.

Using social media, he launched the accusation that took the authorities and Omar’s family to the exact location of his prison. It was then that the truth, which had been hidden under layers of hay and deceptions, finally emerged.

A video shows the moment when Bin Omran was discovered by the security forces. In the images, he is seen with a long beard and apparently trembling while being helped out of a cellar hidden under bullets of hay. “The attorney general of Djelfa informs the public that on May 12 at 8:00 p.m. local time, the victim Omar bin Omran, 45, was found in the basement of his neighbor, B.A., 61 years old,” the prosecutor’s office said in a statement.

The kidnapper is a 61-year-old janitor in the municipality of El Guedid, who tried to escape when he was discovered. However, justice was quick and forceful. The authorities arrested him and put him in custody.

This man, who had led a seemingly normal life, turned out to be Omar’s jailer for almost three decades. His escape attempt only added more gravity to his crime, solidifying his image as a villain in the minds of the public and the law.

The authorities declared that the investigation of the case was still ongoing, and highlighted the complexity and severity of the crime.

Since his release, Omar bin Omran receives medical and psychological care to recover from the trauma. The physical and emotional scars of his captivity are deep, and delicate care is needed to help him reintegrate into a normal life.

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