2 abducted Indian teachers released in Libya: Sushma

NEW DELHI: Two Indian teachers who were abducted in Libya over a year ago have been released, external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj tweeted on Thursday. Both Gopalakrishna and Balaramkishan were teachers at the University of Sirte.

THE MINISTRY WAS IN TOUCH WITH THE FAMILIES CONCERNED AND ALL EFFORTS WERE BEING MADE TO ENSURE EARLY RELEASE OF THE INDIANS

Two Indians abducted in Libya’s Sirte, an area controlled by the Islamic State, have been freed, external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj tweeted on Thursday.

Four Indian men were detained at a checkpoint about 50km from Sirte, hometown of former Libyan strongman Muammar Gaddafi, in July while on their way back to India. Two of them – Lakshmikanth from Raichur in Karnataka and Bengaluru’s resident Vijay Kumar – were released after two days in captivity. The other two, T Gopalakrishna from Andhra Pradesh and C BalamKishan from Telangana were rescued on Thursday.

“I am happy to inform that T Gopalakrishna (AP) & C BalaramKishan (Telangana) who were captive in Libya since 29 July 2015 have been rescued,” Swaraj posted on Twitter.

The ministry was in regular touch with the families concerned and all efforts were being made to ensure the well-being and early release of the Indian nationals, the government said in July.

It was a big relief for the families of the two professors. Gopi Krishna’s family members got a pleasant surprise when they received sudden a phone call from him at around 10 pm on Wednesday. “It was just a half-a-minute call from Gopi. He spoke to his wife Kalyani, father Narayana Rao and me to inform that he had been released and he would be coming to India shortly,” Gopi Krishna’s brother Murali Krishna told HT.

Kalyani was not available for her reaction, as she, along with her two children, went to a temple to perform special prayers. “He said he was at present under the protection of military forces. Today, he would be handed over to the Indian embassy which would make arrangements for his travel to India at the earliest,” Murali Krishna said.

Gopi Krishna, however, did not say anything about how and where he had been in the captivity of the terrorists. “He said he would reveal all the details once he returns,” his brother said.

Sridevi, wife of Balram, was very much relieved on hearing the news of her husband’s release. “I got the call from him this morning and I couldn’t believe I was talking to him. All that he told me was that he was safe and healthy and he enquired about our welfare.”