A boy who disappeared at the age of 17 has been found nearly 30 years later under his neighbor's house, following what is believed to be a kidnapping.

Omar Bin Omran, the victim, went missing in Djelfa, Algeria, 27 years ago. His family thought he had perished during the civil war between the Algerian government and various Islamist rebel factions. Viral footage shows Omar, now in his 40s, being brought out of his hiding spot after police raided a house close to his former family home. Authorities confirmed that a 61-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of imprisoning him.

Omar as a teen before he went missing

Prosecutors in Djelfa, a mountain town with a population just under 500,000 and located three hours south of the capital Algiers, stated: “The Djelfa Attorney General’s Office informs the public that on May 12 at 8pm local time it found victim Omar B, aged 45, in the case of his neighbour, B.A., aged 61.”

The man who was arrested is believed to work as a civil servant and lived alone. A neighbor of the abducted man told Algerian TV station Bilad: “His poor mum died while he was in captivity, without knowing what had happened to him, without knowing that all this time he was really right beside her.”

A video showing the moment a bearded Omar was found in what has been described locally as a covered well under haystacks at a sheep farm was broadcast by Algerian media.

A court official in Djelfa stated: “Two days ago, on 12 May 2024, the Public Prosecutor's Office received, through the regional department of the National Gendarmerie in El Jadid, a complaint against an anonymous person claiming that the complainant's brother, Omar bin Omran, who has been missing for about 30 years, is in the house of one of his neighbours, inside a sheepfold.”

Omar is now aged in his 40's

“Following this report, the General Prosecutor of the Court of Idrisiya in the province of Djelfa directed the National Gendarmerie to conduct a thorough investigation, and officers proceeded to the specified house.”

He added: “The Public Prosecutor's Office has ordered medical and psychological treatment for the victim, and the suspect will be brought before the Public Prosecutor's Office immediately after the investigation is completed.” Officials have assured that the “perpetrator of this heinous crime” will be prosecuted with “severity.”

Unconfirmed local reports suggested that the victim’s family learned about Omar’s location after the alleged captor’s brother voiced grievances on social media during an inheritance dispute. Algerian media reported that Omar claimed he had been unable to call for help due to a spell his alleged abductor had cast on him.