Bengaluru, Aug 5: Vijay Kumar, the second Indian released by the Islamic State (IS) militants in Libya last week, returned to Bengaluru on Tuesday night to a warm welcome by his family and friends.
A lecturer at the University of Sirte in Libya, he was freed on Saturday along with Laxmikant Ramakrishna from Raichur in north Karnataka, about 490km from here.
"We are releasing you as you taught our students. You go to India and practice Islam," Kumar cited his abductors telling him while releasing them.
Asserting that their abductors treated them well and did not harm or even touched them, Kumar said they asked him if he was a Muslim. "When I told that am an Indian have been here (in Libya) for over four years to teach their students, they respected and told we can go to India," Kumar said, adding some of them (abductors) wielding guns were his students not long ago.
Ramakrshina, another lecturer at the same university, returned to Hyderabad earlier in the day and reached Raichur by late evening. Vijakumar and Ramakrishna were abducted on July 29 along with two other Indians - T. Gopikrishna and Balaram Krishna from the neighbouring states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
Gopikrishna and Krishna, who are also lecturers at the same university, are still in captive though safe. "Let us pray for the safe release of other two (Gopikrishna and Krishna) for whom the university has set up a special committee to convince the abductors that they were not spies but teachers," Kumar said.
All the four were first detained by the IS militants at a checkpoint after they left Sirte in two cars to Tunisia by road to catch a flight to India and were taken to an unknown destination in the city. The duo reached the Indian embassy in Tripoli on July 31 and left for Dubai on Monday on way to India.
‘IS men treated me like a guest’
Raichur, Aug 5: Prof Lakshmikant, who was abducted and released by IS militants in Libya, returned to Raichur on Tuesday.
Speaking to reporters, he said that his abductors treated him like a guest in a hotel and they did not abuse or torture them. Recalling the incident, he said that on July 29 (Wednesday), he and Vijay Kumar (both working for Sirte University) were travelling by car while Gopikrishna and Balaram (who work for another varsity and hail from Telangana and Andhra Pradesh respectively) were going by another car to the airport.
“A group of boys in the 13-17 age group intercepted the car of Gopikrishna and Balaram near the checkpost and we returned to check on them. The gang leader was called to the spot over phone and he confirmed our identity. A boy in the group, who was our student, identified me and Vijay Kumar. We were neither blindfolded nor handcuffed. We were taken by an AC car to big hall where beds were laid out. They asked if we need food.”
“The next day, our luggage was brought to the hall. They asked us to give them cash, valuables, laptop, projector, i-Pad. On Friday, I and Vijay Kumar were taken to Sirte University and all our belongings were returned. They gave a mobile phone with a SIM card and asked us to update them on our whereabouts till we reach India. We did so till we left Tripoli. But, we could make calls in Tunisia. I?tried calling them after reaching Hyderabad, but could not reach them,” he said.
He said the IS fighters and Sirte University had invited him back to Libya. The college was closed from March 13 onwards but the varsity paid us salary till August 31. “I was getting paid 5,200 Libyan Dinar (Rs 2.50 lakh) a month. But, the salary was halved owing to the decline in oil prices,” he added.
Police officers from Raichur and officials of the Revenue Department went to Hyderabad to receive Lakshmikant.
Also Read: IS abductors treated us with respect: Released Karnataka teacher
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