A person from Kerala, who was believed to have been executed after being kidnapped in the Philippines, did not die and he was actually freed recently, official sources here said.
Biju Kolara Veettil was abducted, allegedly by the Abu Sayyaf group, on June 22 last year from his in-laws home. The police said some months later that Biju, who had married a Filipino, was killed while visiting her home.
But his wife Elena contested the claim, saying Biju was in the custody of the Abu Sayyaf group. Meanwhile, his relatives approached the Ministry of External Affairs and Defence Minister A.K. Antony.
It now emerges that the Abu Sayyaf group, which routinely kidnaps foreigners to run its operations, released Biju after a year in captivity.
