Indian hostage Families appeal for freeing their loved ones
Anguished families of three Indian truck drivers held hostage in Iraq have appealed for their release, with one distraught father saying he will give "every penny" in exchange for his only son. The Indians, who along with three Kenyans and an Egyptian are being held hostage by an Iraqi group calling itself Black Flags, have been identified as Antaryami, who uses only one name, Tilak Raj and Sukhdev Singh.
Antaryami and Raj both hail from the remote village of Una in mountainous Himachal Pradesh state, which Indian newspapers said had been in shock since television stations began Thursday broadcasting pictures of the seven truckers surrounded by their armed and hooded captors.
The Black Flags have threatened to kill one hostage every three days starting Saturday if the Kuwaiti company that employs them does not shut down its operations in Iraq.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. "They can take every penny I have in lieu of my only son. I am ready to give anything to them to see my son," wept Ram Murti, the father of Antaryami.
"Never had we imagined that he would fall into such trouble," said Murti, who last spoke with his son on the telephone Tuesday.
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