Kolkata Woman Judith D’Souza, Who Was Abducted In Kabul, Rescued

Kolkata: An Indian charity worker from Kolkata kidnapped from Kabul has been rescued, officials said Saturday, more than a month after she was taken at gunpoint in the latest abduction of foreigners in the war-torn country.

Judith D’Souza, a 40-year-old staff member of the Aga Khan Foundation, a prominent NGO that has long worked in Afghanistan, was abducted near her residence in the heart of Kabul on the night of June 9.

“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’s family had last month written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging his intervention in ensuring that she is reunited with them.

PM Modi had requested Afghan President Ashraf Ghani to expedite efforts to secure Judith’s release.

Announcing the news, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said “I am happy to inform you that Judith D'Souza has been rescued,” on her twitter account early on Saturday morning. Sources say Ms. D’Souza, who is “safely” with Indian embassy officials in Kabul will return to India “very soon”.

Judith D’Souza had been working with the Aga Khan Foundation in Kabul for some years and was due to return to India in a week when she was abducted on the night of June 9. According to the police’s account, D’Souza had been visiting a friend and was in her car with a driver and security guard, when they were overtaken by gunmen and forced into another car at gunpoint.

However, they let off the two men as they were Afghan, asking D'Souza if she was a “foreigner”, said police. The manner of her abduction made the police suspicious, however, and they kept both the driver and guard in custody. While officials wouldn’t reveal any details during the investigation, sources confirmed that interrogating the two men had given them significant leads that indicated the motive for her kidnapping was ransom, and that she hadn’t, as feared by many, been targeted by the Taliban. D’Souza was believed to be held by a gang in the Shomali Plains, close to the village of the two men in custody.

Judith’s work took her across the world, to Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Kyrgyzstan, Mauritius and Nepal. Before becoming a gender specialist, she worked on child rights, climate change and several other social issues.