India, Jan. 12 -- A merchant navy officer from Himachal Pradesh's Kangra district has found himself in the middle of an international maritime incident just weeks before his scheduled wedding.

Twenty-six-year-old Rikshit Chauhan was among three Indian nationals serving aboard the Russian-flagged oil tanker Marinera when the vessel was seized by United States forces in the North Atlantic on January 7, according to family members and local officials.

The family has since made a heartfelt appeal to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other government leaders to secure his safe return home before his February wedding date.

The Marinera, formerly known as Bella 1, was intercepted by US authorities after an extended maritime pursuit that report...