mangalore today

17 Indian youths freed from Libyan Jail return home after harrowing ordeal


Mangalore Today News Network / News18

New Delhi, Aug 21, 2023: Seventeen Indian men, recently released from Tripoli Jail in Libya, arrived in Delhi on Sunday night. The group had been stranded in Libya for six months after falling victim to deceitful travel agents who promised jobs in Italy.

 

Libya


The Indian youths, mostly from Punjab and Haryana, had been stranded in Libya and were released from jail in Tripoli last month. Vikramjit Singh Sahney, a Member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha from Punjab, who reportedly played a significant role in their release, said that these youths had fallen victim to unscrupulous travel agents promising lucrative jobs in Italy.

 


“Safely evacuated 17 youths of #punjab & #haryana from Libya after a great deal of ordeal of 3 months who just got saved their lives, duped by illegal #immigrationagents charging 13 Lakhs each. Request @CMOPb @mlkhattar @DGPPunjabPolice to register FIRs against culprits who committed this heinous crime," Sahney wrote on social media platform X.

“Sordid tale of youth - what ordeal they went through and how they managed to return safely from the gallows of torture & death #humantrafficking," the MP said in another post. In one of the videos posted on social media platforms, the men can be seen sobbing after embracing their families at the airport.

The Story Behind the Rescue

Before their rescue, the harrowing journey of the Indian men took them through Dubai and Egypt before landing them in Libya, where they endured harsh conditions and even physical assaults. Sahney, upon learning of their plight in May, engaged with the Indian Embassy in Tunisia and initiated legal efforts to rescue them.

Sahney reportedly maintained constant contact with the youths and their families. The key goal was to extricate them from the clutches of local criminal groups. The youths were initially held in an under-construction building by an armed faction, until they were eventually moved to a hotel in Zwara City with the help of Libyan police.

Subsequent legal procedures secured their consular access, leading to their eventual release from detention. They were then kept in Tripoli until arrangements were made for their travel documents, particularly Emergency Certificates for repatriation to India.

Earlier, the Rajya Sabha MP had pledged to provide them with free skill development opportunities and job placements, aiming to prevent their need to seek overseas employment.