17 Indian men held captive in Libya, return back to Delhi
Seventeen Indian nationals, who were held captive by an armed group in Zwara city in Libya, have been rescued and brought back to India
New-Delhi: Seventeen Indian nationals, who were held captive by an armed group in Zwara city in Libya, have been rescued and brought back to India following sustained efforts by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).
“The Indian Nationals hailing from Punjab and Haryana arrived in Libya after being duped by travel agents under the pretext of lucrative jobs in Italy and were detained by the mafia in Libya,” the Embassy posted on X.
The Embassy of India to Libya successfully repatriated 17 Indian Nationals from Punjab and Haryana (on 19 August 2023), who were detained in Libya since February 2023. The Indians safely reached India on 20 August 2023 by Gulf Air flight at 2030 hrs. pic.twitter.com/gnRysnZaw5
— India in Tunisia (@IndiainTunisia) August 21, 2023
All the men paid a sum of Rs 13 Lakh to an agent, by promising of employment opportunities in Italy.
Later, the family members of the captive men managed to contact MP Vikramjit Singh in May, who subsequently liaised with the Indian Embassy in Tunisia on May 26.
On June 13, Libyan authorities were able to rescue the Indian nationals, but kept them in their custody as they had illegally entered the country.
Following high-level intervention by the Indian Ambassador in Tunis and senior Ministry of External Affairs officials from New Delhi, Libyan authorities agreed to release them.
During their stay in Libya, the Indian Embassy reportedly looked after the needs of the Indians, including providing essential food items, medicines, and clothes. Tickets for return to India were also provided and paid for by the Indian embassy.
(Input from Agencies).
Ms Kalinga