--- description: The kidnappers are suspected to be ISIS militants title: Four Indians Kidnapped in Libya image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # India Says Four Nationals Have Been Kidnapped in Libya by [Rishi Iyengar](/author/rishi-iyengar/) ## Rishi Iyengar Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jul 31, 2015 6:44 AM CUT by [Rishi Iyengar](/author/rishi-iyengar/) ## Rishi Iyengar Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jul 31, 2015 6:44 AM CUT Four Indians were[ reportedly kidnapped](http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-33729341 "undefined") in Libya on Friday, with Islamic militant group the Islamic State of Iraq and Greater Syria (ISIS) allegedly thought responsible. The Indians were kidnapped from the town of Sirte near the Middle Eastern nation’s capital city Tripoli, the BBC reported. They had been working as teachers at the University of Sirte, in the hometown of the country’s late former dictator Muammar Gaddafi where ISIS has a strong presence. “We are in regular touch with their families,” Vikas Swarup, spokesperson for India’s Ministry of External Affairs, said in a statement to the [ANI news agency](https://twitter.com/ANI%5Fnews/status/626999309620285440 "undefined"), adding that they were ascertaining further details through the Indian mission in Tripoli. Three of the abductees are faculty at the University of Sirte while the fourth works at the university, Swarup said. All four hail from the south of India: two from Hyderabad and two from Karnataka. “No ransom demand has been made yet. We are trying to ascertain their whereabouts,” local news channel NDTV [quoted](http://www.ndtv.com/india-news/4-indians-kidnapped-by-islamic-state-in-libya-government-1202372 "undefined") Indian foreign ministry officials as saying. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3979796/india-kidnapped-libya/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3979796/india-kidnapped-libya/"},"headline":"India Says Four Nationals Have Been Kidnapped in Libya","datePublished":"2015-07-31T06:44:19.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T09:46:37.798Z","description":"The kidnappers are suspected to be ISIS militants","url":"https://time.com/3979796/india-kidnapped-libya/","keywords":["India","ISIS","Libya","Teachers","tripoli"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Rishi Iyengar","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/rishi-iyengar/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3979796/india-kidnapped-libya/","name":"India Says Four Nationals Have Been Kidnapped in Libya"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Italian Coast Guard Rescues Migrants from Libya","description":"Footage taken by the Guardia Costeria shows the Italian Coast Guard rescuing a group of migrants from Libya on Saturday, as part of a large-scale operation.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/Y1VEWWZE/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2015-06-08T07:19:10.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/Y1VEWWZE.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/3979796/india-kidnapped-libya/","duration":"PT48S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/3979796/india-kidnapped-libya/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```