Two Indian teachers who were abducted in Libya’s Sirte, an area controlled by the Islamic State, over a year ago have been released, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said on Thursday.
"I am happy to inform that T Gopalakrishna (AP) and C BalaramKishan (Telangana) who were captive in Libya since July 29, 2015 have been rescued," she tweeted.
Both Gopalakrishna and Balaramkishan were teachers at the University of Sirte and were abducted while they were on their way to Tripoli airport to return to India.
Gopalakrishna and Balaramkishan were among the four Indian men who were reportedly detained at a checkpoint about 50 km from Sirte in July when they were on their way back to India. The other two men were released after two days in captivity.
Sirte is the hometown of ousted Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, which fell to the Islamic State in May and the university, where the four worked, is located in the stronghold of the IS.
Earlier, in May this year, 29 Indians were evacuated from Libya and Sushma Swaraj was appreciated for her efforts.
Currently, there are about 2,000 Indians in conflict-hit Libya, who stayed back despite the External Affairs ministry urging them several times to leave the country.
