Professor N. Gopikrishna, who was released from the captivity of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (IS) at Sirte in Libya, said Dr. Ramamurthy, who was still in the custody of ISIS, might be safe.
Mr. Gopikrishna along with other professor Ch. Balaramkishan returned to their houses in Hyderabad a couple of days ago after 414 days in capivity of the terrorists. They were kidnapped from the Sirte University in Libya in July 2015.
“I spoke with Prof. Gopikrishna who gave us some good news that my father would be safe and released soon. We expect that my father will be freed shortly,” said Kosanam Nirisha, daughter of Kosanam Ramamurthy.
“We are in touch with the family members of the released professors. Hope my husband will be released from IS and we will celebrate the occasion soon,” Ramamurthy’s wife, Annapurna Bhavani, told The Hindu .
According to the two professors, Dr. Ramamurthy was with them for 40 days after they were kidnapped. They shared a single room on the sea shore. Later, terrorists took away Dr. Ramamurthy and some paramedical staff, Mr. Gopikrishna said.
Appeal to Modi
“My father was the only Telugu person from India, who was held captive with IS and urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj to expedite the process for his safe release,” Ms. Nirisha urged.
Ms. Bhavani said the terrorists had abducted seven persons, including three professors from Andhra Pradesh, two from Karnataka, one engineer from Odisha along with Dr. Ramamurthy in a span of three months last year. Except the doctor, other hostages were released, she said.
Disturbing development
“My family was very upset with the developments. But, still we expect that my husband will return home safely,” said Ms. Bhavani and urged the Centre to discuss the matter with the Libyan government and help the family.
Hope my husband will be released and we will celebrate the occasion soon
Annapurna Bhavani
