Shot in leg, man kept running to escape ISIS

Harjit Masih, the lone Indian worker who managed to flee from ISIS' captivity in Iraq last month, was shot in the leg during his escape.

Harjit Masih, the lone Indian worker who managed to flee from ISIS' captivity in Iraq last month, was shot in the leg during his escape.

Masih, 26, was amongst the 40 Indian workers kidnapped by the ISIS from their place of work in Mosul. He had gone to Iraq 11 months back with the help of a Delhi-based travel agent to work as an electrician in a private construction firm.

"Harjit is now in the safe custody of some agencies in Erbil and is recuperating," said Robin Masih, his younger brother while speaking to the media for the first time.

Narrating the harrowing tale of his brother's escape, Robin told HT, "He told me the extremists were searching their bags during night when he decided to flee in the cover of darkness. The terrorists cautioned him to stop but he kept running. It was then that they shot him."

"He kept running till he came across a group of Bangladeshis in Erbil. It was with their help that he contacted the Indian embassy in Baghdad," Robin said.

Harjit, the sole bread earner in a family of four, is a resident of village Kala Afghana in Gurdaspur district of Punjab.

"We don't know how he is now. He assured us he would be back soon. He also said he was being frequently questioned by people about the extremists."