C M Kajawl :
The news of the release of two Bangladeshi expatriates in Libya has brought relief to their families in Bangladesh after 18 days of uncertainty. Anwar Hossain from Noakhali and Helal Uddin from Jamalpur, who were abducted on March 6 from a Libyan oilfield, were freed on Tuesday.
Yunus Mia, father of Anwar, said that they had passed sleepless nights since the abduction of his son. The news of his release relieved his family from anxiety.
“We were in sheer anxiety. Now we are relieved. I prayed to Allah for the safe return of my son. We hope that he will come back home within a few days,” he said. Anwar’s mother Afroza Begum also expressed her gratitude to Allah for his son’s freedom.
Marufa Khatun Mony, wife of Anwar, said that she came to know about the release of her husband from the media and the Bangladesh Embassy in Libya. “I first heard the news of my husband’s release on Tuesday midnight on television. Later, Bangladesh Embassy also confirmed me about his release,” she said.
“Later, I talked to him on the telephone. He informed me that he was physically fit and would return home soon,” she said. Anwar (38) hailed from Gayespur village under Begumganj upazila in Noakhali district, while Helal (40) is from Dakshin Gojaria village under Madarganj upazila in Jamalpur district.
Aleya Begum, wife of Helal, also expressed her satisfaction with the release of her husband. She said that Bangladesh Embassy had informed her son Rubel and son-in-law Jewel about the release of her husband on Tuesday midnight.
Aleya Begum requested the government to take necessary arrangement so that her husband may come back home as soon as possible.
Both Helal and Anwar were the employees of Vienna-based oil company Value Added Oilfield Services (VAOS) in Tripoli. They were abducted along with seven other foreigners from the Al-Ghani Oilfield in Libya by an unknown militant group on March 6.
According to sources, Helal and Anwar were released on Tuesday evening. They were taken to a hospital for check-ups at Sirte, 700 kilometres from the Libyan capital Tripoli.
The two are in good health and expected to reach Tripoli on Thursday.
It is confirmed that the Islamist militant group ISIS did not abduct the two Bangladeshis, the sources said, adding that a Libyan militia groups might have abducted them to take control of the oilfield, the source said.
