Of the four who have been abducted, two are from Hyderabad, two are from Karnataka. One of the Indians is believed to be from Telangana.
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According to the spokesperson, three of the four Indians are faculty at the University of Sirte while the fourth one works at the varsity.
They had been working as teachers at the University of Sirte, in the hometown of the country’s late former dictator Muammar Gaddafi where ISIS has a strong presence.
Vikas Swarup, a foreign ministry spokesman, said that all four had been returning to India through Tripoli when they were detained at a checkpoint about 50km from Sirte on Thursday evening.
The MEA is ascertaining more information.
“We are in regular touch with the families concerned and all efforts are being made to ensure the well being and early release of the four Indian nationals”, he said.
No contact has been established as yet and there has been no ransom demand either a senior official in the foreign office informed.
Meanwhile, the suspense still continues over 39 Indians who were kidnapped in Mosul town of Iraq by ISIS militants over a year ago. The government maintains the men, all labourers from mostly Punjab, are still alive.
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In Iraq 39 Indians have been missing from the last year after they were kidnapped at the height of the fighting between Islamic militants and government forces.
