An Odia youth and another Indian national have been kidnapped by ISIS militants from Sirte in war-torn libya, a Central Government officer said on Wednesday.
"Our Mission in Tripoli said that two Indian nationals, Pravash Ranjan Samal of Odisha and Ramamurthy Kosanam of Andhra Pradesh, were apparently taken from Ibn-e-Sina in Sirte and detained," the Government spokesperson said.
He said all efforts were being made to ensure the wellbeing of the two and to secure their early release.
He also said the Indian Mission in Tripoli was making further inquiries for confirmation of the incident and is in touch with the local people, who can help in securing release of the two Indian nationals. The matter has also been taken up at diplomatic level, he added. Sirte is now under the control of the Islamic State (IS) terror group, which is steadily expanding its influence in central libya. In July, four Indian teachers were kidnapped in libya, allegedly by IS militants.