17 Indian youths held captive in Libya return home after six months of ordeal

New Delhi [India], August 21 (ANI): The Embassy of India in Tunisia said they had successfully repatriated 17 Indians from Punjab and Haryana on August 19, who were detained in Libya since February this year.

On their social media account X (formerly known as Twitter), Indian Embassy in Tunisia said, “The Embassy of India to Libya successfully repatriated 17 Indian Nationals from Punjab and Haryana (on 19 August 2023), who were detained in Libya since February 2023. The Indians safely reached India on 20 August 2023 by Gulf Air flight at 2030 hrs.”

AAP Rajya Sabha MP Vikramjit Singh Sahney, on Monday, who had played a role in facilitating the evacuatioon said that 17 youth mostly hailing from Punjab and Haryana were evacuated from Libya after Tripoli jail released them last month. 

They were in Libya for the past six months because of travel agents who duped them on the pretext of sending them to Italy.

On the social media account X, Vikramjit Singh Sahney asked Punjab’s Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and Chief Minister of Haryana Manohar Lal to take immediate action against agents who had defrauded these youth who had planned to go to Italy but were sent to Libya.

“With blessings of Akalpurakh Waheguru jee we spearheaded successful evacuation of 17 youth of Punjab and Haryana from gallows of death in Libya where unscruplous agents duped them after taking 13 Lakh each. @BhagwantMann @mlkhattar immediate Firs shd be registered against agents who committed this heinous crime @sunfoundationIn @wpo,” Singh said in a tweet. 

It has been more than 6 months in which about 17 youth from different states, 8 from Haryana, 4 from Punjab, one from Jammu and the other one from Shima, Himachal Pradesh, were supposed to go to Italy but reached Libya instead and were then arrestedt.

Vikramjit Singh Sahney contacted these youth and later contacted the Ministry of External Affairs and wrote letters to these men to get out of Libya… after which he contacted the Ambassador of the Embassy of India and asked them to bring these men to India. 

On Sunday evening, all 17 men reached the Delhi airport. 

“I request everyone don’t send your child through the travel agent and especially don’t send to Libya,” one of the youth said adding that he spent four months in Libya in poor condition. He also claimed that the Libyan jail officials did not give them food for four to five days.