For years, the tragic case of Omar bin Omran perplexed both crime experts and historians.

The man first made headlines in his native Algeria nearly thirty years ago, after his abrupt disappearance.

His family reported him missing in the late 1990s, amidst the country's civil war.

The conflict lasted for a decade, spanning the 90s and early 00s, following a military intervention to prevent the Islamic Salvation Front (FIS) from seizing control after winning the first round of the parliamentary elections in 1991.

With families being shattered across the North African nation, following Omran's vanishing from his home in Djelfa, his parents feared he had either been kidnapped or killed amidst the chaos of war.

Thousands of families were torn apart during the war (STR/AFP via Getty Images)

It wasn't until May last year - 27 years after his family last saw him - that he was finally found in his own hometown.

A now 45-year-old Omran had been confined in a hay-covered cellar beneath his neighbor's property, merely 200 yards from the house he grew up in.

Disturbing footage circulating on social media after being shown on Algerian TV channels depicts the rescue of the missing man.

In the video, Omran - sporting a full beard - blinks rapidly in bewilderment as daylight is shone onto his face by the authorities.

Wearing a torn sweater, he is then seen being pulled out from what appears to be a hole in the ground.

Police believe Omran never cried out for help from his captivity, convinced that his captor had placed him 'under a spell'.

The alleged kidnapper was a 61-year-old doorman from the nearby town of El Guedid.

He was apprehended at the scene after attempting to flee.

Omran's family feared he'd been kidnapped or killed as part of the civil war (EnnaharTV)

"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 neighbor, B.A., aged 61," Djelfa public prosecutors stated, as per The Sun.

While not officially confirmed, local reports suggest that Omran's family discovered his location through the brother of the alleged kidnapper, who reportedly discussed the abduction on social media.

At the time, a court official in Djelfa stated: "Following this report, the General Prosecutor of the Court of Idrisiya in the province of Djelfa ordered the National Gendarmerie to conduct a thorough investigation, and officers went to the house in question.

"The missing person was found, and the suspect, the 61-year-old homeowner, was arrested."

The man was found aged 45 (Ennahar TV)

They added: "The Public Prosecutor's Office mandated that the victim receive medical and psychological treatment, and the suspect will be presented to the Public Prosecutor's Office immediately after the investigation is concluded."

The statement indicated that the 'perpetrator of this heinous crime' would face trial with 'severity'.

Tragically, Omran's mother passed away in 2013, never having learned the fate of her son.