Judith D'Souza, Indian Catholic worker kidnapped in Afghanistan, is freed
She was kidnapped on June 9. It is not known whether a ransom was paid. She worked in Afghanistan in an Aga Khan NGO to raise awareness of women’s rights. The family overjoyed.
Calcutta (AsiaNews) - Judith D'Souza, the Indian aid worker kidnapped in Afghanistan last June 9, has been released and will reach Delhi in the evening. The Indian Foreign Minister, Mrs. Sushma Swaraj, broke the news in a tweet and thanked the Afghan government for their cooperation.
Judith D'Souza of Calcutta, is Catholic, and had been working since July 2015 for the NGO Aga Khan Network as a technical advisor, engaged in raising awareness of the role of women in Afghanistan. On June 9 she was kidnapped in the area of Qala-e-Fatullah in Kabul, on her way home after a dinner with friends.
Investigators no longer believe it was not a terrorist group behind the kidnapping but a racket that kidnaps foreigners and frees them in exchange for a ransom. It is not known if any sum was paid for Judith D'Souza’s release.
Family members, who had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi asking him to do everything possible for her release, have expressed their joy with a tweet by the Judith's brother, Jerome: " Judith has been rescued by the government. Our family's joy knows no bounds. Gratitude to @PMOIndia @SushmaSwaraj @VohraManpreet [Indian ambassador to Afghanistan] ".
The Archbishop of Calcutta, Msgr. Thomas D'Souza also mobilized for the young woman’s release, and many Catholics sent appeals to the government and organized prayer vigils
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