‘At times it felt like death would have been better’

Bhubaneswar: Several times during his torture at the hands of pirates in Nigeria, Sudeep Kumar Choudhury felt death would have been a better deal. The 27-year-old sailor from the city was among five who were held captive by Nigerian pirates at a remote place near Bonny Island for over two months.
Narrating his ordeal, Sudeep, who returned home on Wednesday night, said they were taken by surprise by the pirates after they reached Bonny Port on April 19. Sudeeep, who was the third officer among a 14-member crew in the vessel MT Apecus, said he and four others hid inside the vessel while the rest fled.
“While searching for us, the pirates started firing. One of the bullets pierced my right leg. We finally had to surrender,” Sudeep said.
The pirates blindfolded the sailors (three Indians and two Nigerians) and took them to a mangrove forest. “When we asked for water, we were given a bottle of water mixed with petrol. We had no option but to drink it,” he added. They changed their hideout frequently. The hostages were given muddy water to drink and a bowl of noodles to fill their tummy.
The pirates had demanded US$1 million from the shipping company. After a week since the ransom call, the pirates made Sudeep call the company owner. Sudeep managed to get in touch with the Indian Embassy and they assured help. As the wait continued, the torture and the beatings went on. On June 26, a negotiator arrived with the money and the sailors were released. It took them some days and a journey through difficult terrain before they finally made it to safety.