29 June 2015, 17:41 GMT
NEW DELHI (Sputnik) – Vikas Swarup, the ministry spokesman, said earlier that four Indian faculty members of Sirte University had been detained at a checkpoint near the northern Libyan city of Sirte on their way back to India late on Thursday.
The Ministry of External Affairs later said two of the four Indian nationals have been released and been brought back safely to the university.
The fate of the remaining two Indian nationals remains unknown, although Swarup said the ministry maintains regular contact with members of the hostages' families and is doing everything in its capacity to ensure the speedy release of the kidnapped faculty members.
The United Nations says kidnappings based on place of origin as well as political or religious affiliation are frequent in the North African nation and are primarily carried out by extremist groups. Libya has been in a state of turmoil since the brutal ousting of its longstanding leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.
The latest kidnappings follow the abductions of four Italian nationals last week and 10 Tunisian consular staff last month.
The 10 Tunisian diplomats have subsequently been released in Tripoli, while Rome has launched an investigation into the kidnapping of four Italian employees of an international construction company.
