Puducherry:
Two young siblings from Puducherry have been arrested by authorities after their ship berthed at a port in Libya in June this year. James Antony, 22, and Lourdu Augustin, 25, had left Puducherry in June to work with a private shipping company. Their family says 10 of the crew members of the ship from different countries are behind bars for unknown reasons.
Lawspet resident T Irudayaraj informed Chief Minister Narayanasamy that his sons who were aboard an oil tanker vessel M/V TREK were taken into custody on its arrival at a port in Libya via Malta in August. He said, "My sons once managed to contact their friend and told him about their arrest. They informed us that they would be let off in two months. But it has been almost three months now and there's no news of their release. That's why we approached the Chief Minister. I urge him to take measures for their safe return."
T Irudayaraj met Chief Minister Narayanasamy to urge him to take measures for his sons' safe return.
Copies of air tickets and other documents presented by Irudayaraj, who works as a driver, indicate that the men were picked up from Istanbul airport by an agent of the shipping company called DGS Gemi Denizcilik on June 12.
The elder sibling is a BCA graduate and had undergone a maritime training programme whereas James is an ITI qualified candidate.
The Puducherry Chief Minister has promised to take up the matter with Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj to ensure their release.