3 Indians Kidnapped in Kenya Safely Repatriated

Nairobi: Three Indian nationals, who were rescued after being kidnapped in Kenya, have been safely repatriated from the East African country, the Indian mission in Nairobi said.

"(The Indian) High Commission facilitated the rescue, safety and repatriation of three Indian nationals from Punjab kidnapped in Kenya recently," the mission said in a post on X on Thursday.

The High Commission said it had worked with Kenyan authorities, in particular, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) for its "swift action and pro-active approach".

The DCI, in a post on X on Thursday, said the three Indians were kidnapped shortly after arriving at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi and were rescued following "swift, intelligence-led investigations and coordinated efforts" by Kenyan authorities.

The DCI had earlier said that its Operations Support Unit (OSU) arrested six suspects and rescued three Indian nationals in a suspected human trafficking case on August 11.

The three had been reported missing after arriving in Kenya on August 5 and were traced to a two-bedroom house in Ruiru's Fort Jesus area in Kiambu County, according to the DCI.

Preliminary investigations found that after being cleared at the airport, the trio left the airport in a taxi allegedly arranged by their receiver, who was waiting for them in Ruiru. They were subsequently taken to the house, where they were allegedly held incommunicado.

Those arrested included an Indian national, two Pakistani nationals and two Kenyans. A Kenyan minor, who was allegedly working as a house help, was also found at the premises.

The suspects had claimed during preliminary interrogation that they were assisting the three Indians to travel to Italy via Ethiopia, the DCI had said.