It was an emotional reunion with their parents for 17 Indian youths, mostly from Punjab and Haryana, who returned to Delhi on Sunday after being released from wrongful detention in Libya where they were struck for six months.
Upon their return from the North African country, these youths were received by their families at the Indira Gandhi International airport, with many seen bursting into tears.
These youths were held in captivity for several months by the armed group in Libya's Zwara city after being struck in the foreign nation, where they landed themselves after being duped by some unscrupulous travel agents from Punjab and Delhi on the pretext of lucrative job offers in Italy.
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Rajya Sabha member from Punjab Vikramjit Singh Sahney during the Parliament's monsoon session in July, had told the House that the youths had been released from the Tripoli jail last month and efforts were being made for their rescue. They had been duped of lakhs of money by those agents in the incident.
Sahney said the amount varied from person to person. “All of them left India for Italy in February 2023 via Dubai and Egypt. After a few days, they landed in Libya and kept in Zuwara City, where they were being deprived of basic amenities like food and water and faced physical assault,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}Sahney said the amount varied from person to person. “All of them left India for Italy in February 2023 via Dubai and Egypt. After a few days, they landed in Libya and kept in Zuwara City, where they were being deprived of basic amenities like food and water and faced physical assault,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}“On June 13, the Libyan authorities were able to rescue the Indian nationals but kept them in their custody as they had entered the nation illegally,” an person familiar with the incident told HT.
Sahney had told the House that the matter came to light in May after which he contacted the Indian embassy in Tunisia for their rescue. “My office was in constant touch with these boys and their families. Initially, our major concern was to take them out from the captivity of the local mafia,” he added.
The Punjab MP had also said he would take responsibility for their legal and other expenses and also offer them free of cost skill training.