A distressing video of a man from Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, India, pleading for help while seemingly trapped in Saudi Arabia, has gone viral on social media, prompting a response from the Indian Embassy in Riyadh. The video, which has garnered significant attention online, shows the man speaking in Bhojpuri, claiming he is being held against his will and fears for his life.

In the widely circulated clip, the man is visibly shaken, standing in a desert landscape with a camel in the background. He identifies himself as being from Allahabad, now known as Prayagraj, and alleges that an individual named Kapil has confiscated his passport. "My village is in Allahabad… I came to Saudi Arabia. Kapil has my passport. I told him I need to go home, but he is threatening to kill me," the man says in the video.

Expressing extreme distress, he urgently appeals for help: "Brother, please share this video, share it so much that, with your support from India, I can get help and come back home. Whether you are Hindu or Muslim, please help me. I will die; I need to go to my mother. Share this video as much as possible...I will die". The video, approximately 24 hours old, has already amassed over 140,000 views.

The Indian Embassy in Saudi Arabia has acknowledged the video and stated they are trying to locate the man. In a statement posted on X (formerly Twitter), the embassy said, "Embassy has been trying to locate the person. No further action can be taken as the video does not contain any details about the location/province in Saudi Arabia, or contact number or employer details".

The embassy has also reached out to Kalpana Shrivastav, a Delhi-based lawyer who initially shared the video online, requesting further information. "@Lawyer_Kalpana, please seek details from the source of the video you have posted," the embassy urged.

In addition to contacting Shrivastav, the Indian Embassy has also contacted authorities in Uttar Pradesh, India. "As the person says he is from Prayagraj district, @DM_PRAYAGRAJ @Sp_prayag @prayagraj_pol may also reach out to his family and advise them to write to us at cw.riyadh@mea.gov.in," the embassy stated. Local authorities in Uttar Pradesh have reportedly initiated efforts to locate the man's family to gather more information about his identity and the recruiter he mentioned.

Kalpana Shrivastav, who is a criminal lawyer in Delhi, tagged External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, appealing for immediate intervention. She wrote, "Honourable Foreign Minister @DrSJaishankar ji, please take cognizance. A resident of PrayagrajHandiaPratappur is stuck in Saudi Arabia". Shrivastav has also encouraged the public to share the video, believing that wider circulation could aid authorities in tracing and assisting the man.

As of Friday evening, Indian officials had not yet confirmed the man's identity or his exact location within Saudi Arabia. The embassy has urged anyone with credible information, including family members or associates of the man, to contact them directly at cw.riyadh@mea.gov.in. Social media users have been using hashtags such as #HelpUPMan and #RescueFromSaudi to amplify the clip and call for swift government action.