Judith D'Souza, Indian woman kidnapped in Kabul, works with an international NGO.
NEW DELHI:
HIGHLIGHTS
- Judith D'Souza was kidnapped last month from Kabul
- She works for Agha Khan Foundation - an international NGO
- She is expected to be back in Delhi this evening: Foreign Minister
Judith D'Souza, an Indian woman kidnapped last month from Kabul in Afghanistan, has been rescued, Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj has said.
"I am happy to inform you that Judith D'Souza has been rescued," Ms Swaraj tweeted this morning.
40-year-old Judith, who works for Agha Khan Foundation - an international NGO - as a senior technical adviser, was kidnapped on June 9 by suspected terrorists right outside her office in the heart of Kabul. Kolkata-based Judith was in Kabul for over a year on her second stint in the Afghan capital.
Ms Swaraj said that Judith is safe and will reach Delhi this evening.
She also tweeted praise for Indian Ambassador to Afghanistan Manpreet Vohra for his efforts to secure Judith's release.
"We are thankful to the Indian government for the rescue of our sister. We are now waiting for her to be back home. We would request the media to respect our privacy," Judith's sister Agnes told PTI.
Judith's family had last month written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging his intervention in ensuring that she is reunited with them.
PM Modi had requested Afghan President Ashraf Ghani to expedite efforts to secure Judith's release.
Thanking Ms Swaraj for her "assurances", Judith's brother Jerome D'Souza had tweeted yesterday:
Ms Swaraj had spoken to Judith's family and assured them that the government was "doing everything to rescue her".
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