Shehnaz, a native of Valmikipuram in Annamayya district, after she was received at Hyderabad airport on Friday night following her return from Muscat. Screengrab X/@PawanKalyan
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
A tense wait ended for the family of Shehnaz, a young woman from Valmikipuram in Annamayya district, after she landed safely at Hyderabad airport on Friday (May 8, 2026) night following the intervention of Deputy Chief Minister K. Pawan Kalyan. She reached her hometown on Saturday (May 9, 2026).
Shehnaz’s ordeal had come to light through a video she posted on social media from Muscat, in which she said she was being harassed and denied food and water. Her appeal drew attention online and prompted action from the Deputy Chief Minister.
Mr. Pawan Kalyan directed his office to coordinate with the Ministry of External Affairs and the Indian Embassy in Oman to secure her return. Officials remained in contact with her family and agents in Mumbai and Muscat, and monitored the rescue process until she arrived in India.
In a post on X, Mr. Pawan Kalyan said the Ministry of External Affairs’s “swift response, constant coordination, and humanitarian approach” made the return possible. He also thanked the Indian Embassy in Muscat, the Oman authorities, the Jana Sena Gulf cadre, the NDA alliance cadre and the Andhra Pradesh Non-Resident Telugu (APNRT) Association for their role in the rescue. He said Shehnaz had visited his office on Saturday before being sent home.
The Deputy Chief Minister said the Andhra Pradesh government remained committed to standing by every Telugu individual abroad during times of distress, and thanked Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu for his support.
Published – May 10, 2026 12:34 pm IST
