Two of four Indians abducted in Libya brought back safely to Sirte, tweets Sushma Swaraj

Two of the four Indians abducted in Libya have been “brought back safely” to the University of Sirte, according to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). “Welcome news from Libya. 2 of the 4 detained Indians brought back safely to University of Sirte. Our efforts continue for the remaining two,” tweeted Vikas Swarup, the official spokesperson of the MEA.

Welcome news from Libya. 2 of the 4 detained Indians brought back safely to University of Sirte. Our efforts continue for the remaining two.

— Randhir Jaiswal (@MEAIndia) July 31, 2015

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj also reacted to this development and tweeted, “Four Indians abducted in Libya - I am happy we have been able to secure the release of Lakshmikant and Vijay Kumar. Trying for other two.”

Four Indians abducted in Libya - I am happy we have been able to secure the release of Lakshmikant and Vijay Kumar. Trying for other two.

— Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) July 31, 2015

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Four Indian teachers, who were returning to India from Tripoli and Tunis, had been kidnapped in Libya, allegedly by the Islamic State terror group. [caption id=“attachment_2374236” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj. AFP[/caption] Earlier on Friday morning, Swaraj had briefed Prime Minister Narendra Modi about the incident as also the steps being taken by the ministry to secure their release. The government had said earlier on Friday that the four Indians were “detained” at a check point, about 50 km from Sirte. The area from where they 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. “Two days ago, on July 29 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,” the MEA spokesperson had said. “We are in regular touch with the families concerned and all efforts are being made to ensure the well-being and early release of the four Indian nationals,” he had said. The MEA, through its Head of Mission in Tripoli, is ascertaining the details regarding the incident. Official sources had told PTI no ransom demand has been made as yet. Taking serious note of the prevailing situation, the Indian government had in July last year 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 last year at the height of the fighting between Sunni militants and government forces, and efforts to get their release have not yielded any results. With inputs from PTI