Three Sri Lankans who were abducted in Ethiopia have been successfully rescued following a coordinated security operation.

The victims had reportedly travelled to Ethiopia for employment opportunities when they were kidnapped shortly after their arrival.

Following the incident, the Sri Lankan Embassy in Ethiopia informed the Bole Sub-City Police, prompting an investigation that began on May 26.

Preliminary findings indicated that the three individuals had entered the country only days before they went missing. Police investigations later traced a vehicle believed to have transported them from the airport.

Further inquiries led authorities to a residential house in Shashamane, a town in Ethiopia’s Oromia region, where the victims were being held.

Security forces subsequently carried out a raid and successfully rescued all three Sri Lankans unharmed. Six suspects were arrested in connection with the incident, including two Ethiopian nationals and four Pakistani nationals.

Investigators also revealed that the suspects had demanded a ransom of USD 30,000 per person, totaling USD 90,000, for the release of the victims.

The rescue operation was jointly conducted by the Ethiopian National Intelligence and Security Service, the Federal Police, the Information Network Security Administration, and the Oromia Regional Police.