Two of four kidnapped Indians released in Libya by ISIS

The MEA is in common contact with households of abducted Indians, Vikas Swarup added.

The teachers were abducted from the city of Sirte, where they were teaching at the University of Sirte on an assignment.

But India’s top diplomat now in Libya cautioned against presuming the two released teachers were safe, because they remain deep inside IS-controlled territory.

“Happy two Indians released in Sirte LIbya pray for others”.

Three are faculty members in the University of Sirte and one works at the University’s branch in Jufra since 2014.

Two of the four Indians detained in Libya by Islamic State (IS) terrorists have been released.

“We are in normal touch with the families concerned and all activities are being made to guarantee the prosperity and early arrival of the four Indian nationals”, India’s remote service said in an announcement. They were taken hostage in 2014 at the height of the fighting between Sunni militants and government forces and efforts to secure their release have not yielded any results. Balram is from neighbouring Andhra.

Relatives and friends of Gopikrishna gathered at their residence in Nacharam in Hyderabad after learning about the kidnapping.

Gopi and Balram too are assistant professors at the University of Sirte.

The wife of one of the men still detained, Gopikrishna, said she had spoken to him last on Wednesday.

While 3500 Indians have been evacuated from Libya in the last year itself a few 2000 Indians have chosen to stay back because they have lived there for too long or other economic compulsions. “We don’t know what happened after that”, a family member said.

The group were taken as they headed towards Libya’s capital Tripoli in an attempt to return to their home country.

The incident came a year after 39 Indians were kidnapped from Iraqi city of Mosul.