Kolkata: 40-year-old Judith D'Souza, Indian woman who was kidnapped from outside her office in Kabul last month, arrived at the IGI airport, New Delhi, on Saturday after being rescued.
Judith, who worked for the international NGO Aga Khan foundation, was kidnapped in Kabul last month by suspected militants from outside her office on June 9.
Judith D'Souza is with us - safe and in good spirits. She will reach her Motherland at the earliest. Vande Mataram. https://t.co/VAfBWpBAeN
— Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) July 23, 2016
Announcing her release, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, earlier in the day, tweeted, “I am happy to inform you that Judith D'Souza has been rescued".
She also thanked Afghan authorities for their "help and support" in securing Judith's release. The External Affairs Ministry was in constant touch with Afghan authorities to ensure a safe release for Judith, a resident of Kolkata.
Swaraj also lauded the efforts made by India's Ambassador to Afghanistan Manpreet Vohra in securing 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 D'Souza is with us - safe and in good spirits. She will reach her Motherland at the earliest. Vande Mataram. https://t.co/VAfBWpBAeN
— Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) July 23, 2016
Judith's family had last month written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging his intervention in ensuring that she is reunited with them. Modi had requested Afghan President Ashraf Ghani to expedite efforts to secure Judith's release.
