India got back 49 abducted nationals between 2014 and 2018: VK Singh

India was between 2014 and 2018 able to get back 49 of its nationals who were held hostage in different countries, Minister of State for External Affairs General VK Singh said Wednesday. 

The maximum number of Indian nationals brought back was from Kenya (18), followed by Nigeria at 14. The other countries were Afghanistan at 2, Libya at 6, Senegal at 1, South Sudan at 2, Thailand at 3, Turkey at 2 and Yemen at 1.

In addition to this, India also got back the mortal remains of 39 Indians who had been abducted by Islamic State in Iraq.

Giving the details in parliament, Singh said, "Safety and security of Indian nationals in foreign countries is a matter of foremost concern for the Government of India."

He further said, "The Government keeps a close watch on the situation in strife-torn countries, issues advisories wherever required and engages the local authorities regularly to prevent incidents of hostage/kidnapping, while simultaneously making every effort to secure the release of those in captivity."

Last year, 7 Indians engineers were abducted in Afghanistan. The whereabouts of them are still not known.