Nine Indian nationals, held captive in Libya for several months, have been freed by their captors, announced Indian Ambassador to Tunisia Ngulkham Jathom Gangte. The release was secured with the help of the principal of the Indian school in Benghazi, Tabassum Mansoor.
“They were held captive since January 18, 2023. Today we welcomed them in a small ceremony in the Indian Ambassador‘s official residence in Tripoli,” said Ms. Tabassum speaking from Tripoli. India’s embassy in Tripoli is at present non-operational but Mr. Gangte is in-charge of the developments in Libya. The Indian nationals have been transferred to a hotel near the Embassy of India compound and arrangements are under way to send them back home.
“From Tripoli, whatever efforts we exerted it didn’t make any progress. Ultimately an idea came to us to call Mrs. Tabassum for assistance. Today I would like to fully acknowledge the contribution of Mrs. Tabassum in the release of the nine Indians. It was through her contacts in the House of Representatives that we were able to secure the release,” said Mr. Gangte.
The nine Indians were on board a ship near the Libyan coast and were taken hostage by extremists who operated from Zawiya, a city near capital Tripoli. Zawiya has been witnessing intense fighting among various armed groups in recent weeks. Jitendra Kumar Yadav, Aftab Alam, Karampal, Subhankar Biswas, Mohammed Nasim Azam, Jitendra, Surya Pratap Singh, Rahul Harkesh Bhai Rajput, and Rajesh Kumar were on board Maya-1 when they were taken hostage. Earlier in March Mr. Karampal had drawn attention to the case after he managed to send out a video message seeking help from the Indian authorities.
Ms. Mansoor, who is originally from Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh, had earlier played a similar role in freeing seven Indians in Libya in 2020. She is known to have extensive local contacts because of her community work in Benghazi, That helped whenever Indians were caught in difficult situations in the conflict-ridden country.
