New Delhi: External Affairs Minister (EAM) Sushma Swaraj on Tuesday confirmed that thirty-nine Indians who were missing in Iraq's Mosul since 2014, were kidnapped and killed by the dreaded terrorist outfit Islamic State.
Speaking in Rajya Sabha, EAM Swaraj said that their bodies were spotted using deep penetration radar. The bodies were exhumed from a mass grave and their identities confirmed by DNA tests, she said.
Here's is how Swaraj broke the news in Parliament:-
-All 39 missing Indians have been killed by ISIS
-I confirm with a heavy heart that all 39 missing Indians are dead.
-Those killed by ISIS were employed by a firm in Iraq.
-Along with 40 Indians, the ISIS fighters had abducted some Bangladeshi nationals too
-They were intercepted and abducted by the ISIS when they were going to an eatery to have their meals
-All Bangladeshis were set free by the ISIS and sent to Erbil
-One Indian national Harjit Masih too managed to escape from ISIS captivity
-In a bid to escape from ISIS captivity, Harjit Masih changed his name to Ali
-During counting, the ISIS later found that there were 39 Indians in their captivity
-All 39 Indians were then sent to Badush in Iraq
-After proper investigation, a mass grave was found in Badush
-Radar mapping confirmed the presence of 39 dead bodies
-The bodies were exhumed and several things including bangles, pendants were found
-Long hair strands, bangles recovered from dead bodies confirmed they were Indians
-Some dead bodies were found wearing long boots not made in Iraq
- DNA samples of kin of 39 missing Indians were sent to Iraq
-The DNA of 38 Indians matched totally while the DNA of the 39th person matched nearly 70 percent
-The DNA samples were taken from their relatives from Punjab, Himachal and West Bengal
-Gen VK Singh will visit Iraq to bring back their mortal remains
-A special plane will be sent to Iraq with him
