Ninety-seven days after they disappeared into the fog of a crisis abroad, two brothers from Pithoragarh, Uttarakhand are finally home — and on Tuesday, 11 August 2026, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami personally called them to confirm they were safe. The relief in that phone call, he said, brought genuine peace of mind.

Dhami announced that Anand Singh Karki and Bhupendra Singh Karki, residents of Pithoragarh, had returned safely from Russia after what the Chief Minister described as a prolonged period of uncertainty. Speaking about the call, he wrote that conversing with the two brothers and their families — reunited after a long wait — brought him deep satisfaction.

How the state worked the phones to bring them home

The Uttarakhand government's account of the rescue effort centres on persistent coordination: state officials maintained continuous contact with the Ministry of External Affairs and the Indian Embassy in Russia throughout the crisis. Dhami stated that every possible effort was made to ensure the safe and sound return of both men.

This reflects a well-worn but critical division of labour in Indian federal governance — state governments handle the local human dimension, tracking families and keeping political pressure alive, while the central government's diplomatic machinery does the consular legwork abroad. In this case, the state says it held that coordination thread for the entire 97-day period.

Pithoragarh's long tradition of working abroad

Pithoragarh is a hill district with a pronounced culture of out-migration — young men and families routinely travel to distant cities and countries in search of work and opportunity. When something goes wrong abroad, the stakes for these tight-knit communities are acutely personal. The Karki family's ordeal, stretching over three months, would have been felt well beyond their immediate household.

India and Russia share a longstanding strategic partnership built on decades of defence, energy and trade ties. Yet that relationship offers no automatic shield for individual Indian nationals who find themselves in difficulty on Russian soil, particularly during periods of geopolitical turbulence — making consular coordination all the more essential.

Dhami's pledge to every Uttarakhand citizen abroad

The Chief Minister closed with a broader commitment: the state government, he said, stands ready with full sensitivity and determination to protect the safety, dignity and interests of every citizen of Uttarakhand. It is a promise that carries particular weight in a state where emigration is not an exception but a way of life — and where the government's ability to reach across borders can mean the difference between a family torn apart and one made whole.

Two brothers are home. The phones worked. Now the question is whether the coordination machinery that brought them back can be made faster, more transparent, and more accessible for the next family waiting by the door.