NEW DELHI, India -- Romanian diplomat Liviu Radu returned to his home in a taxi Tuesday morning, nearly seven weeks after he was kidnapped by Sikh militants and 12 hours after his abductors placed him on a train to freedom in northwestern Punjab state.
The 55-year-old Radu arrived home about 11 a.m. Tuesday, four days after Sikh militants announced they would free him. His abrupt arrival at his home surprised police and security agencies, who apparently had received no word that he had been released.
Radu, looking weary but happy as he posed for photographers, later told a news conference at his home that his abductors placed him on a New Delhi-bound train somewhere in Punjab state Monday night.
'I am thankful to my family for my release,' said Radu, who described the kidnapping as one of the most 'interesting and novel experiences' during his 32-year association with India. He said he had been optimistic about his release but sometimes felt threatened.
During the news conference, the diplomat received a message from Romanian President Ion Iliescu congratulating him on his release and telling him the entire country had been concerned about his welfare.
Radu, then the charge d'affaires at the Romanian Embassy, was kidnapped by Sikh militants Oct. 9 shortly after he left his home in the upper-class Jor Bagh neighborhood of the Indian capital for a drive across town to his office.
Four Sikh militant groups claimed responsibility for the abduction and said they would cut him into pieces unless the Indian government agreed to free three imprisoned Sikhs facing the death penalty for the assassination of an Indian army chief.
The government refused to give in to the militants' demands and staged an intensive search in the capital in a bid to locate the diplomat. Despite several breaks in the case, they were unable to pinpoint Radu's whereabouts.
The Romanian diplomat said Tuesday he had been kept in the capital until Oct. 27 but was blindfolded much of the time and could not identify the exact locations. After Oct. 27, he was moved to Punjab by car.
The militants announced Friday they would free Radu Sunday, but the day passed with no word of his whereabouts. Radu said he was freed in Punjab late Monday, probably between Jalandhar and Ludhiana cities, about 185 miles northwest of New Delhi.
'I was put on the train somewhere in Punjab at about 11 p.m. last night,' Radu said. 'It was very dark and I did not see which station it was and I traveled in a second-class compartment.'
