Jithina Jayakumar could not contain her smile as she drove down to Cochin international airport, on 26 April to meet her husband. It had been three months, since they were torn apart by distance, captivity, and a war.
Akhil Reghu, a 26-year-old hailing from Kerala’s Kayankulam, was a deck cadet in a UAE ship that was taken hostage by Houthi rebels in Yemen. His wife, 23-year-old Jithina Jayakumar, a final-year undergraduate student, was holed up in a bomb shelter in war-torn Ukraine. The couple reunited on 27 April after months of uncertainty.
Akhil Reghu with his wife Jithina Jayakumar and family members after returning to Kerala.
(Photo: Accessed by The Quint)
Finally Free, After 112-Day Houthi Captivity
Jayakumar and Reghu got married on 20 August 2021.
(Photo: Accessed by The Quint)
Jayakumar and Reghu got married on 20 August 2021, and left for Ukraine and Yemen respectively in September that year.
However, Reghu ended up aboard the ship Rawabee – owned by Liwa Marine – that was hijacked while sailing through the Red Sea on 31 December 2021. On 2 January, he called his family and informed that his ship was attacked by Houthi rebels and that the 11-member crew, including seven Indians and one each from the Philippines, Indonesia, Myanmar, and Ethiopia, were detained in a hotel.
The ship was transporting hospital equipment from a closed field hospital on Yemen’s Socotra Island to the Saudi Arabian city of Jazan.
The rebels alleged that the vessel was carrying military equipment. According to media reports, the Iran-backed Houthi fighters had claimed it carried military supplies, including weapons and ammunition, and had entered Yemeni territorial waters without authorisation.
Reghu’s family reached out to the UAE Embassy, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, and several other foreign officers for their intervention.
Besides Reghu, Deepash (37) of Meppayyoor in Kozhikode and Sreejith Sajeevan (28) of Kaippuzha in Kottayam too were detained by the rebels.
Jithina Jayakumar told The Quint, “They were being made to stay either on the ship or in a hotel. My husband and others were not harassed physically but every minute was scary. They allowed him to speak to me for five minutes every 20 days. They were constantly monitoring the calls to ensure that he doesn’t give away any of their whereabouts."
Akhil Reghu, Deepash and Sreejith Sajeevan in Delhi after being rescued from the rebels.
(Photo: Accessed by The Quint)
“About two weeks back, we were told that he will be released. But as we had been waiting for long, we didn't believe it. Only when I got a call from his number after he reached India, did I breathe a sigh of relief.”Jithina Jayakumar
'Traveled Standing in a Train for 15 Hours'
Jithina Jayakumar, along with her Indian friends while traveling to the Hungary border on 28 February.
(Photo: Accessed by The Quint)
It was not long ago that Jayakumar herself was in a crisis. After a 12-day ordeal in war-torn Ukraine, Jayakumar, who was studying at the Kyiv Medical University, returned to the safety of her home on 6 March.
“I remember this day vividly. At 5 am on 24 February, I heard the sound of bombs exploding and that’s when I knew that the war had arrived. I had my tickets to Kerala booked for 26 February. Holding on to whatever chocolates and snacks I had bought for the journey, I sought refuge in a bunker underground for five days,” she told The Quint.
As directed by embassy officials, she left along with other Indian students to the Hungarian border on 28 February. She reached Lviv, a city near the border, standing in the jam-packed train for over 15 hours. On 5 March, the Indian embassy arranged for her safe return, as part of the ‘Ganga mission,’ to evacuate stranded Indians from Ukraine.
“My husband knew about the war-like crisis in Ukraine. The rebels were initially not allowing him to make any calls. So he starved himself for two days and forced them to let him speak to me.”Jithina Jayakumar
She said her experience in the war-torn nation gave her the energy to fight for her husband’s release.
When this correspondent asked Jithina about what she wishes to do, now that the two have been reunited, she laughed, saying, “We are not going to leave our house.”
“Family is everything for us. We both love staying at home. I love reading and he is an ardent antique collector. So all that we will do is be at home and spend time with our loved ones,” she said.
She added, “Our family is emotionally drained. But I won’t cry. We've gone through so much, and my situation made me strong. We are all trying our best so why wail when we can smile?”
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