New Delhi: Two of the four detained Indians in Libya have been brought back safely to University of Sirte, the Ministry of External Affairs said.
The ministry is also making continuous efforts for the release of the other two Indians. "I am happy we have been able to secure the release of Lakshmikant and Vijay Kumar," External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said.
According to sources, Islamic State had kidnapped four Indians in Libya. "Two days ago, on July 29th at around 11 pm, our Mission in Tripoli came to know that four Indian nationals who were returning to India via Tripoli and Tunis, were detained at a checkpoint approximately 50 kms from Sirte. Of the four Indian nationals, two are from Hyderabad, one from Raichur and one from Bengaluru. Three of them were faculty members at the Sirte University and one was working at the Sirte University branch in Jufra," MEA spokesperson Vikas Swarup had said.
The sources said that the area from where the Indians were kidnapped is under the control of the Islamic State, which has taken control of large swathes of Iraq and Syria and has declared itself a caliphate.
Taking serious note of the prevailing situation, the Indian government had in July in 2014 issued an advisory asking its citizens to leave conflict-hit Libya. The latest incident came even as 39 Indians remain missing in Iraq. They were taken hostage in 2014 at the height of the fighting between Sunni militants and government forces and efforts to get their release have not yielded any results.
The Indian government had in 2014 issued an advisory asking its citizens to leave Libya.
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