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No concrete evidence whether 39 Indians missing in Iraq's Mosul are dead: Sushma Swaraj

Sushma Swaraj on 39 missing Indians

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External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Wednesday said that there was no proof to suggest that Indians missing in Iraq are dead.

"Why should I believe Harjit Masih's claims that the 39 Indians are dead? It is a crime to do this without proper proof," said Swaraj in Parliament.

One of 40 ISIS abductees, Harjit Masih, returned to India escaping the terror group, and has claimed that the Islamic State killed all 39 remaining abductees.

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"Iraq has never said that the 39 Indians missing are dead," she added.

The External Affairs Minister also said that it is a sin to declare a person dead without concrete evidence.

A day ago, Iraq said it has no 'substantial evidence' on whether the 39 Indians taken captive in Mosul three years ago are alive or dead, while confirming that the prison at Badush, their last known location, has been demolished by terror group ISIS.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had on July 16, based on information gathered by minister VK Singh during his visit to the city after its recent "liberation" from ISIS, stated that the abducted Indians may be lodged in the jail, located in northwest Mosul.

In 2014, 39 Indian labourers, mostly from Punjab, were taken hostage by ISIS when it overran Iraq's second largest city Mosul. The workers were trying to leave Mosul when they were intercepted.

Alleging that Ms Swaraj had 'lost all credibility', Congress leader from Punjab Partap Singh Bajwa had said that Swaraj had said that these hostages were held in a dilapidated jail in Badush.

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