kochi: A total of nine persons, including eight nurses, flew to war-torn Libya from the Nedumbassery airport here on Monday despite the travel advisory issued by the Indian embassy there even as the cops are probing whether travel agencies are sending such candidates illegally using tourist visas.
“The Indian Embassy there has issued a travel advisory asking the state Home Ministry not to send anyone to Libya as it is already engaged in evacuating Indians working in the war-torn nation.
We have got information that nurses are returning back after vacation. We can’t prevent them from going back but we’ve asked the ministry to probe whether they are sent back using tourist visas,” said P Sudeep, Chief Executive Officer, NORKA ROOTS.
The police said they had issued notices to the nurses indicating the volatile situation in Libya but “they have gone at their own risk”.
“Seven nurses and a couple along with their child based in Koothattukulam went to Libya by the Kuwait Airways at 4 am.
They told us they were going there to get their retirement benefits and certificates and not to continue with their jobs. The advisory says no new recruits should be sent to Libya,” said Koothatukulam Sub Inspector R Vijayan.
Meanwhile, the Home Ministry has directed Ernakulam IG M R Ajith Kumar to probe into NORKA’s charges of travel agencies sending candidates on tourist visas to Libya.
When contacted, Shajimon Joseph, the owner of Achu Tours and Travels, Koothattukulam which helped the nurses return to Libya, said, “All the eight nurses were working at the Benghari Medical Centre for the last five years. They said they wanted to collect their certificates and also to avail retirement benefits.”
