Bablu Kumar of Bokaro, who was stranded in Kabul, returned on Sunday.

“He called from the Delhi airport to inform that their aircraft had landed just then,” his elder brother Lal Babu Patel informed this paper, adding their family that spent a week of anxiety since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan heaved a sigh of relief after hearing the news.

“Bablu couldn’t speak much as he had to complete the formalities at the airport,” Lal Babu further said, adding his brother was expected to reach Ranchi by another flight by evening before setting out for their home near Sunday Bazar area of Bermo in Bokaro.

“I’m in a hurry to catch a flight for Ranchi and as such can’t speak at this moment,” Bablu, 37, said when contacted at the Delhi airport. “We didn’t face problems today,” he further said when asked about his flight to Delhi and added he was feeling “very tired and needed some rest”.

“Bablu would speak to us daily and assured he would return soon but we were really worried,” his brother Lal Babu said, adding Bablu’s wife Lakho Devi kept weeping all these days and prayed for his safe return.

Bablu, a father of two sons aged 10 and 7 years, had earlier gained experience in Tamil Nadu and Punjab before going to Afghanistan for working in a battery manufacturing unit near Kabul and would visit his family in Bokaro twice or thrice in a year. He came on leave and returned in the first week of June.

His employer had advised Bablu to return to India when the Taliban was advancing towards the Afghan capital, his brother said.

“Bablu had a confirmed air ticket on August 16, the day after Kabul fell and even went to airport for boarding the flight,” he further informed, adding he had to return as the situation near the airport had turned chaotic and gunshots were heard all around.

His employer had also arranged a guesthouse near the airport for Bablu and three others, Lal Babu further said, adding some Taliban members visited them at that place.

“Bablu said they (the Taliban) checked their passports and asked them to wait till they heard their commander’s instructions,” he further informed, adding they were worried what would the Taliban decide about such stranded persons.

Meanwhile, the family approached everyone for help. Bermo MLA Kumar Jaimangal tweeted chief minister Hemant Soren, requesting his intervention and Soren, in return, approached external affairs minister S. Jaishankar for helping the family.

“Anyway, it’s a great relief that my brother finally returned to the country and we are now waiting to receive him,” Lal Babu added.