The Chairperson of the Indian National Commission for Minorities (NCM), Iqbal Singh Lalpura, informed media on Sunday that the commission has rescued 12 Indians stranded in Libya, who were taken to the country by one of the agents in a fake job racket, The Hindu newspaper reported.
The commission also thanked the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and the Indian Embassy in Tunisia for helping in its task.
“We received a representation from one Sukhvinder Singh and others with a request to bring back Indians from minority communities stranded in Libya. A similar request was also made by BJP president of Ropar District, Ajayvir Singh Lalpura,” Iqbal Singh Lalpura said.
The NCM had forwarded the request to bring back the youngsters, who were illegally taken to Libya for employment opportunities, to the MEA on February 6, 2023.
“Upon reaching Libya, they realized that they would be working for a private contractor without salary. They were also not provided with proper food and beaten brutally, as alleged by them,” Mr. Iqbal Singh Lalpura said.
The Embassy of India in Tunisia informed the NCM that a local resident of Benghazi, Tabassum Mansoor, had helped in providing humanitarian assistance and relief supplies to the stranded Indians.
The NCM said that with the help of the MEA and the Embassy of India in Tunisia, four out of 12 Indians had been successfully brought back from Libya on February 12. The remaining Indians stranded there were brought back on March 2, 2023.