India said Tuesday (December 27th) it will "spare no effort" to secure the release of a priest kidnapped in Yemen, after video footage showing him pleading for help was circulated on social media, AFP reported.
Indian priest Thomas Uzhunnalil was abducted by militants during a deadly attack on a care home operated by the Missionaries of Charity group in the port city of Aden in March.
The five-minute video shows the 56-year-old priest appealing to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Pope Francis to secure his freedom.
India's foreign minister Sushma Swaraj said New Delhi would "spare no effort to secure Father Tom's release from captivity", but gave no details.
Joseph Chinnayyan, deputy secretary general of Catholic Bishops' Conference of India, said it was not possible to verify the authenticity of the video.
"Even if it is authentic, whatever he is saying is under duress. We are certain that he is still in captivity and efforts are on to free him," Chinnayyan said.
The video was posted on social media on Monday but it is not clear when it was shot.
While no group has claimed the care home attack, al-Qaeda and the "Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant" (ISIL) have carried out similar attacks in the area.
