Freed Karnataka teacher says IS caught them by mistake

Hyderabad: One of the teachers from Karnataka, who was abducted and subsequently released by IS terrorists in Libya, said on Tuesday that the militants had treated them well and with respect.

Lakshmikant said that the two Telugu teachers, prof. Ch. Balram Kishan and T. Gopikrishna, were safe. He added that a few of his former students were among the militants.

Mr Lakshmikant, a native of Raichur, Karnataka, who reached Shamshabad airport on Tuesday morning with the external affairs ministry’s help.

“Nobody harmed us. They treated us with respect. Four of us were together when we were abducted. They released me and Vijay Kumar after knowing our identity,” he said

Talking to the media at the RGI airport, Mr Lakshmikant said a sheik, who was among the abductors, had asked him to send him a message once he reached India and not to worry about his friends. Accordingly, Mr Lakshmikant spoke in Arabic to the media to convey the message and requested for their release. “When I was going to the washroom, the sheik gave me his slippers to use. They never abused or intimidated us,” he said.

Mr Lakshmikant’s wife Prathiba, said, “We are happy and proud of the government.”

Prof. Balram’s wife Sridevi, who spoke to Mr Lakshmikant, said that she was happy to know that her husband was not harmed. “The sheik had asked him to send a message or call as soon as he landed in India, so that accordingly the other two would be released," she said.

“The abductors assured Mr Lakshmikant that they would soon release them,” she said.

“Mr Lakshmikant told me that the abductors had captured them by mistake, and that the four were not their targets,” said Ms Sridevi.

The former students of Mr Lakshmikant, who were in the IS group, recognised him and asked the sheik to release him.