VK Singh to travel to Iraq on April 1 to bring back mortal of slain Indians

New Delhi: Almost ten days after Union External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj informed the Rajya Sabha that all 39 Indians kidnapped by ISIS in Mosul three years ago were dead. MoS VK Singh will travel to Iraq on April 1 to bring back the mortal remains of the slain Indians.

“Deep penetration radar confirmed that all Indians were dead after all bodies were exhumed,” Sushma Swaraj had told the Rajya Sabha.

Also Read: All 39 Indians kidnapped in Iraq’s Mosul killed by ISIS: Sushma Swaraj

Swaraj said that the mortal remains were sent to Baghdad. In 2017, families of all 39 Indians were asked to undergo DNA tests for the verification of bodies, Sushma had said.

This will be second time; Singh will be visiting Iraq regarding the matter. Earlier in July 2017, Singh had travelled to Erbil, Iraq to locate and bring back the 39 Indians reportedly kept in Mosul as hostages of the ISIS.

The group of Indian labourers, mostly from Punjab, was taken hostage by ISIS when it overran Iraq's second largest city Mosul in 2014. The workers were trying to leave Mosul when they were intercepted.

In July 2017, Swaraj had firmly said in the Parliament that she would not declare the 39 Indians dead without concrete proof or evidence.