An Algerian man, who was abducted as a teenager and banished to a cellar for nearly three decades, was found at his kidnapper’s residence about 300 feet away from his own family’s home.
Omar Bin Omran was rescued on Sunday, May 12, from the home of the longtime captor, his own neighbor, who was living close to his family’s home in the Algerian city of Djelfa.
Footage of the now 45-year-old victim being rescued was widely shared after Omar was found alive in the 61-year-old homeowner’s basement, underneath a hay-covered floor in what appeared to be a sheep pen.
Omar Bin Omran was abducted and held hostage in his neighbor’s house for 27 years before his whereabouts were traced
“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,” public prosecutors in Djelfa said in a statement, as quoted by The Sun.
The victim was reportedly just 17 years old when he vanished without a trace on his way to a vocational school. He was then allegedly hidden in his neighbor’s property just a few yards away from where his family lived.
The abductor is believed to have stayed alone at the property and worked as a government employee.
The cellar, covered by haystacks when Omar was found, was a well on a sheep farm, according to local reports.
The victim was only 17 when he disappeared without a trace on his way to a vocational school
Omar is one of nine siblings and was presumed dead after his disappearance. A search was launched for the then-teenager, and the family eventually assumed he died during the civil war between Algeria’s government and various Islamist rebel groups.
At the time of the teenager’s disappearance, his family noticed that his dog would wait around outside the accused neighbor’s house while they had no inkling that Omar was trapped inside.
The abductor is suspected to have killed Omar’s canine companion about a month after the dog lingered around the property. The pet is believed to have been poisoned before his dead body wound up on the doorstep of the family home.
During his rescue, the now 45-year-old man was found in a cellar covered by haystacks
Despite years passing by with no trace of Omar, the victim’s mother refused to accept that her son died in the civil war. She firmly believed he was still alive somewhere, but she did not live long enough to see his dramatic rescue just a few yards away from the very home she raised him in.
The mother died in 2013 with one last wish: “Please, do not stop searching for Omar. I am sure he is still alive,” she said, according to the New York Post.
Some reports revealed that the kidnapped victim knew about his mother’s death from the very captor keeping him hostage.
Omar’s mother believed her son was still alive but did not live long enough to see him return back home to his family
NEW: A man named Omar Bin Omran in Algeria, who vanished at 17 in 1998 was found alive hidden in a neighbor’s Cellar (a room below ground level in a house)
Omar has been stuffed there for over 27 years by his neighbor, the captor.
Now this will shock you
A social media post… pic.twitter.com/p8tiWAK3CL
— WithAlvin 🇬🇭 (@withAlvin__) May 16, 2024
Over a decade after the mother’s death, the whereabouts of the now 45-year-old son were found after the suspect’s brother posted a social media post about the abduction.
The suspect and his brother were involved in their own scuffle over inheritance, which pushed the sibling to share a post about the homeowner’s involvement in Omar’s kidnapping. This led to the victim’s family tipping off investigators.
A court official in Djelfa said the Public Prosecutor’s Office received a complaint about Omar being in the house of one of the neighbors.
“Please, do not stop searching for Omar. I am sure he is still alive,” the victim’s mother said about her missing son before she passed away
“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 court official said.
“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,” he added.
Investigators received a tip about Omar being trapped in the house after the neighbor’s brother, who was fighting with the suspect over inheritance, shared a post about his sibling’s involvement in the kidnapping
Investigators eventually found the startled detainee trapped in the 61-year-old neighbor’s house.
The “perpetrator of this heinous crime” will be put through a trial of “severity,” officials assured.
Some expressed sadness over Omar’s mother shutting her eyes forever before being able to see her son return home.
“(Omar’s) 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,” a neighbor was quoted telling Algerian TV station Bilad.
The accused neighbor is also believed to have killed Omar’s dog, who lingered around the property for about a month while the then-teen was held captive
Following his rescue, the victim was taken to a medical center to have his physical and psychological health evaluated.
Omar told his family members that he would sometimes see them walking by through a window in the suspect’s home. But he couldn’t call out to them because he felt like he was under some kind of spell.
The 61-year-old homeowner was arrested following his rescue.
The internet was stunned to read Omar’s story and wished him well on his journey to recovery
