Three welders, hailing from Srikakulam district in Andhra Pradesh, who were abducted in Libya, have safely returned home in Seetanagaram in Sompeta Mandal. Batchala Venkatrao, Batchala Joga Rao and Boddu Danayya are the three men who were kidnapped in the north-African country. The three men had gone to Libya last year October to work with Al Shola Al Modea, a construction company, as welders.

The ordeal began for the three men when their company transferred them from Qatar to Libya for better pay last year. The men were set to return to India this year but with were unable to when the Benina International Airport was shut for months due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The three men travelled to Tripoli, 800 kilometres away from their work at Benghazi, to try to reach the Tripoli International Airport. The men had gone missing en route, kidnapped by a local Libyan gang.

Danayya, one of the three men abducted, managed to contact his family twice, once through a phone call on September 13 and through a WhatsApp text message the following day, reported The New Indian Express. The family in Andhra Pradesh reached out to the District Collector and Superintendent of Police. The Member of parliament Kinjarapu Ram Mohan was also alerted about the abduction of the three welders.

The MP raised the matter during the Parliament session as well, following which, the Ministry of External Affairs intervented. The Libyan police liberated the three men from their abductors, reportedly a local gang.

"They are doing alright, I have spoken with them. They have come to meet me in my office," told Srikakulam Superintendent of Police (SP) Amit Bardar to IANS. He said the returnees did not have any physical injuries and were also found to be emotionally stable. They returned home via Delhi, accompanied by family members.

The Andhra Pradesh government and the district administration played a crucial role in the rescue of the three people through diplomatic channels.

(With IANS Inputs)