The Ministry of External Affairs has confirmed that four Indians have been kidnapped in Libya. According to sources, the involvement of Islamic State is being suspected in the abduction.
The MEA, through its Head of Mission in Tripoli, is ascertaining the details regarding the incident. According to information available through our sources, all the four Indian nationals have been brought back to the city of Sirte.
"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 said.
Swarup said that they are in touch with the families concerned and all efforts are being made to ensure the well-being and early release of the four Indian nationals.
Official sources said no ransom demand has been made as yet.
They said 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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