On Thursday, the Indian Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed the kidnapping of seven Indian workers in Libya, last month. It pointed out that it is in contact with the authorities to secure their release.
The spokesman for the ministry, Anurag Srivastava, said that they were kidnapped in Al-Shweref, a village in southwestern Libya. He added that they were kidnapped, on 14 September, on their way to Tripoli’s airport to return to India.
Srivastava stated, “The government is in contact with their family members and would like to assure them that we are making all possible efforts, in consultation and coordination with the Libyan authorities and the workers’ employer, to track down our citizens and secure their release as soon as possible.”
Srivastava explained that the Indians were working in a construction and oilfield supply company. Without identifying who kidnapped them, Srivastava noted that “the kidnappers contacted the employer and showed him photographs as evidence that they were in good health.”
He pointed out that the Indian embassy in Tunis contacted the Libyan government, as well as international organisations present there, to request their assistance in releasing their citizens.
In May 2016, the Indian government imposed a complete ban on its citizens from traveling to Libya, in light of the deteriorating security situation there.