Two persons from Karnataka are among the four people kidnapped by the terrorist organisation, Islamic State, in Libya late on Thursday night.
Vijay Kumar, a native of Kolar, and Lakshmikant Ramakrishna, both professors at Sirte University in Southern Libya, were kidnapped by members of IS.
According to Uday Itagi, an English Teacher from Sebha University in South Libya – who communicated the news to his family and friends through Facebook, says, “Last night, around 11 p.m., four lecturers, including two Kannadigas, were kidnapped by IS. They were going to Tripoli on their yearly leave. The area is known to be a hub of IS militants, and they were caught at the check post itself.” Mr. Uday, who blogs about Libya in Kannada, said he will be headed towards Tripoli on August 11.
Vijay Kumar is the Head of the English Department, Faculty of Education at Ministry of Higher Education at Sirte University. After completing his schooling in Kolar district, he pursued numerous post graduate degrees in Mysuru, Bengaluru, Karaikudi in Tamil Nadu and a Ph.D. from Shillong. He went to Libya in 2007, and has been in the University for the past eight years.
Lakshmikanth, 35, is working as Assistant Professor, (M.Sc Electronics), for the last five years. He had come to Raichur last August along with his wife Prathibha who was then pregnant. He left her in Raichur for delivery. Now the couple has their first baby, five-month old baby girl. His father, Ramakrishna, retired Manager of State Bank of Hyderabad. Lakshmikanth is the eldest of five siblings.
Just before they were kidnapped, they were asked about their religious identity, the taxi driver who was sent back by the militants told the family members of those who were abducted.
Lakshmikanth contacted his wife in Raichur just 30 minutes before he was kidnapped.
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