ISIS captive doc back home, says forced to treat terrorists
Dr K. Rammurthy, who was held captive by the terror group ISIS for 18 months in Libya, returned to his village Dondapadu near Eluru in West Godavari district on Sunday.
Dr Rammurthy worked in Libya for 18 years before ISIS forces invaded it. He narrowly escaped bullet injuries during a gun fight that broke out on the streets of Sirte when he was going to his room. He was captured by the gunmen and shoved into a car with another Indian named Shyam.
Both were sent to a jail in September 2015. “They did not kill or harm us as we were professionals. In the early days, the jail inmates were scared of the brutalities committed by their captors.”
“I experienced jail in Sirte for 10 months. ISIS men made efforts to get the inmates to convert to Islam but they were not extensively forced. We suffered from lack of food and other amenities,” he said.
He said that the ISIS leaders asked him to serve in their field hospitals to treat their fighters who were getting seriously injured in fighting with local government forces on several fronts.
“I expressed my inability to do so as I was seriously injured and ill with frequent severe back pain and blood pressure ailments. But later I did treat the militants. I witnessed their torture. They threatened people by showing videos of brutal killings by them. They forced me to do medical surgeries,” the doctor said.
He said that when he was shifted to another area, an officer heard him speaking, inspected his room where his money, gold and professional certificates were kept and gave him a phone and told him to call the Indian Embassy.
“With the efforts of the Indian Embassy officials, I was released three months back. I have finally reached home today,” said the doctor, who is still to receive his salary amounting to `10 lakh from the Libyan health authorities.