The Telangana Government on Friday began efforts to ensure safe release of two residents of Hyderabad who were allegedly abducted by suspected Islamic State militants from the Sirte University in Libya on July 29.
The Ministry of External Affairs has confirmed that four Indians, including Gopi Krishna Tiruveedula, a professor in computer science and his colleague Balram from Hyderabad, have been kidnapped by the ISIS militants. They were reportedly returning to India via Tripoli and Tunis, when they were detained at a checkpoint, about 50 kilometers from Sirte.
On receipt of reports, Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao has directed Chief Secretary Dr. Rajiv Sharma to get in touch with the Libyan Embassy and MEA’s officials to ensure the release of Gopi Krishna and Balram.
Meanwhile, Gopi Krishna’s wife Kalyani has appealed to the State and Central Governments to intensify efforts to ensure safe release of her husband. She said her husband has been working in Libya for the last eight years and was planning to come back to Hyderabad for some time. She said they were travelling in a bus to work, when some armed men accosted them and took them away. (INN)