No information yet on whereabouts of Father Tom: MEA

Indian mission said to be working with many local authorities to ascertain information about the priest

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has admitted that they have not been able to procure any information yet on the whereabouts of Father Tom, who went missing in Yemen and a purported video of him being tortured by the ISIS cropped up on social media. 

As per reports, the Indian Mission is working with the local authorities to ascertain information about Father Tom. 

He has been missing since March when armed militants barged into an old people's home set up by the Missionaries of Charity.

Earlier, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had said the Centre was doing everything in its power to bring the Malayalee priest back home safely.

"We are in touch with the countries, which can assist us in locating him not only at my level, but the Prime Minister himself held discussions during his visits. We are making continuous efforts to locate Father Tom," she said.

Earlier, a video clipping allegedly of Catholic priest from Kerala Father Tom Uzhunnalil, who was abducted by the Islamic State militants in Yemen, surfaced on Facebook.

Four months since his abduction, the video clipping shows the blind-folded priest getting thrashed by unidentified men at an unidentified location.