Indians seized in Libya fine, says freed captive

The two Indians still in IS captivity in Libya are fine, said Laxmikant Ramakrishna, who was among the other two Indians freed and sent home.

Ramakrishna, from Raichur district in Karnataka, landed here from New Delhi on Tuesday. He told reporters that his colleagues were fine.

Four people teaching at the University of Sirte were abducted by the Islamic State on July 29.

While Ramakrishna and Vijay Kumar of Bengaluru were released two days later, Balram and Gopikrishna of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh respectively are still in IS captivity.

Ramakrishna told the media that the "boss or sheikh of the captors have told me that they will be fine and there is nothing to worry about them".

He said the abductors, including former students from Sirte University, treated them very well. The abductors were aged between 13 and 17 years.

He said he had been given a special phone number to call to check on the other Indians from time to time. He said he has been trying to do that and appealed to the media to carry news "with responsibility".

He said any wrong information could harm the abductees.

He thanked the Indian government, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and the Indian embassies in Tripoli and Tunis for their efforts o secure their release.

"I am thanking everybody directly or indirectly connected (with the efforts to secure our release)," he said.

Ramakrishna, 37, and three others were abducted when they were headed for India from Sirte city near capital Tripoli on July 29.

Ramakrishna's wife Pratibha Lakshmi and other family members received him at the airport.

Pratibha was carrying their daughter Kruthi, whom Ramakrishna saw for the first time and was deeply moved.

He also called on the families of the two Telugus in Hyderabad before leaving for Raichur.