NEW DELHI/CHANDIGARH: At least 17 men, hailing from Punjab and Haryana, was repatriated to India on Sunday after being held captive in war-torn Libya. They were taken in by an armed mafia for entering the country illegally after their travel agents deserted them midway.
They left for Italy in February this year via Dubai and then Egypt. Enroute they entered Libya where they were apprehended and jailed as they didn’t have any valid documents. The Indian Embassy in Tunis (which looks after Libya) as well as the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) learnt about the 17 men on May 26 after appeals by their family members, said a source familiar with the matter.
“These 17 men were held captive by an armed group in Zwara City in Libya after they were trafficked from India. Since then, the Indian Embassy in Tunis was in touch with the family members and made concerted efforts to get these men out of captivity,’’ they said.
It is learnt that all through the months of May and June, the Indian Embassy through its informal channels followed up with the captors on their release. “On June 13, the Libyan authorities were able to rescue the Indian nationals, but had kept them in their custody alleging that they had illegally entered the country. The Indian Ambassador in Tunis and senior MEA officials from Delhi worked hard to convince the Libyan authorities to release these men,’’ the source said.
The Indian Embassy issued emergency certificates for their travel to India as they didn’t have passports. The Embassy took care of the essentials for these 17 including food, medicines and clothes. The rescue operation and process of repatriation was facilitated by Vikramjit Singh Sahney Rajya Sabha MP from Punjab. The return tickets for these men to India was also arranged by the Embassy.