Picture for representational purpose. Picture for representational purpose.

Two Bangladeshi construction workers, who were kidnapped by ISIS militants in Iraq along with Indian workers in June, have confirmed that the militants shot dead 39 out of the 40 kidnapped Indians, while one worker miraculously survived the execution to tell the story of the tyranny unleashed by the group.

According to reports, a correspondent of an Indian news channel, who travelled to Iraq on spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravi Shanker's peace mission, met Shafi and Hasan, the two Bangladeshi construction workers in Kurdistan's capital Erbil, which has been a safe heaven for people running from the ISIS.

They told the correspondent that they were among the 53 Bangladeshi workers who were kidnapped along with the 40 Indian workers in Mosul in June. The gun-wielding men, who were holding the Holy Quran, inquired about their faith. They later assured them that they would be taken to Erbil. The Indian workers also thought they would be released unscathed. Later, both the Indian and Bangladeshi workers were segregated.

According to the men, after some days, an Indian worker named Harjeet Masih joined them and told that his fellow Indian workers had been shot by the militants after they were being taken to a hilly terrain, 6 kilometres away from the spot where Bangladeshi workers were kept.

Harjeet told them that his fellow Indian workers were killed on June 15. He survived as he pretended to be dead. Shafi and Hasan said Harjeet also had two bullet injuries. However, he was fine as the bullets had brushed past him.

Harjeet later reached a place named Al Jamia, where he told the ISIS men that he was a Bangladeshi worker named Ali.

He joined the Bangladeshi workers and narrated them his ordeal. He lived with them pretending to be a Muslim. He offered daily namaz to deceive the ISIS militants.

"On the way to Erbil, we were checked by the Iraqi military. We had informed our embassy. Harjeet was with us. They took our photos and we were taken to Erbil in an official vehicle," Hasan told the news channel .

However, he lost touch with the Bangladeshi workers after they reached Erbil.

These claims had also been made by another Bangladeshi worker, who had told a newspaper that he had met an Indian men. (Click to read the report)

According to reports, the current whereabouts of this lone Indian survivor are not confirmed currently, but he has spoken to his mother over the phone.



The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has taken a note of the report and are investigating the matter.



