Kottayam: Sreejith, 28, of Kaippuzha village, near Kottayam town, who was one among the three Keralites freed by the Yemen forces from the Houthi rebels in January, reached home on Tuesday.
He was given an emotional welcome at his native place. His mother Thulasi received him at the house situated at Mission Parambu locality.
It was on Tuesday that Sreejith along with Akhil, a native of Cheppad near Haripad, and Deepash, 37, of Meppayyoor in Kozhikode, reached New Delhi from Yemen via Saudi Arabia.
These three Keralites were among the 16 employees who were on board a UAE-flag ship when it was hijacked by the Houthi rebels on January 4 off Hodeda port city on the Red Sea coast.
At the end of the intense fighting that lasted for weeks, the Yemen security forces freed them from the clutches of rebels on January 20. Later, they were under the safe custody of Yemen authorities.
After Sreejith was held hostage by the Houthi rebels, the relatives had no clue about his whereabouts. On January, 16, he telephoned their relatives. Later, he made phone calls occasionally depending on the availability of telephone services.
On April 24, he called up and said that he was standing in the airport to catch a flight to India. Sreejith spoke to her mother immediately after reaching New Delhi from Yemen.
Tough days ahead
Sreejith, who was working in a ship in Maldives, went to Yemen a year ago. And, now he is jobless and doesn't have a house of his own. Moreover, the repayment of a bank loan is a challenge.
His father died years ago. His mother stays in his sister's house.
The education loan taken in the name of Sreejith is yet to be repaid, his mother said.
