‘Kidnapped’ man presumed dead for 27 years found next door from family in neighbour’s cellar
16 May 2024, 12:09 | Updated: 16 May 2024, 12:41
A man presumed dead after he was 'kidnapped' at 17 years old has been found in his neighbour's cellar almost three decades later.
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Omar Bin Omran went missing from his home in Djelfa, Algeria, in 1997 - with his family believing he had been killed during the country's civil war.
Now aged 45, Mr Bin Omran was discovered metres away from his family home after the brother of the alleged suspect told of the victim's whereabouts on social media after a dispute over inheritance, local media reported.
Shocking footage has since circulated online which appeared to show Mr Bin Omran being helped out of the cellar by rescuers.
Algerian media reported that Mr Bin Omran had been kept under haystacks on the premises which was part of a sheep farm.
A 61-year-old man suspected of keeping him prisoner for 27 years has been arrested, officials confirmed.
Local media described the suspect as a civil servant who is unmarried and lives alone.
Public prosecutors said in a statement: "The Djelfa Attorney General’s Office informs the public that on May 12 at 8pm local time it found victim Omar B, aged 45, in the case of his neighbour, B.A., aged 61."
His mother has since died.
A neighbour told Bilad, an Algerian news station: "His poor mum died while he was in captivity, without knowing what had happened to him, without knowing that all this time he was really right beside her.”
Mr Omran's surviving family told Algerian media how their family dog would wait around the suspect's home after he disappeared. The dog then disappeared.
Opening the case, a court official said: "Following this report the General Prosecutor of the Court of Idrisiya in the province of Djelfa ordered the National Gendarmerie to open an in-depth investigation and officers went to the house in question."
"The Public Prosecutor's Office ordered that the victim receive medical and psychological treatment, and the suspect will be presented to the Public Prosecutor's Office immediately after the completion of the investigation."
The official said the "perpetrator of this heinous crime" would be tried with "severity".
