An Indian aid worker has been abducted by unidentified gunmen in Afghanistan's western Herat province, local officials and India's foreign ministry say.
Sayed Fazlullah Wahidy, governor of Herat province, said the aid worker was kidnapped on Monday afternoon, adding "police have started the search operation for him".
India's foreign ministry confirmed the incident, with spokesman Syed Akbaruddin posting on Twitter: "Indian national working with an NGO (non-profit group) in Herat province of Afghanistan has been kidnapped."
The Indian mission was "pursuing the matter with local authorities," he added.
The charity, Jesuit Refugee Service, said in an email that Prem Kumar was abducted while he was visiting a school in Sohadat village of Herat province.
"He was abducted as he was about to return," James Stapleton, the international communications co-ordinator of the Catholic organisation, said.
Kumar had been working in Afghanistan for the past four years, and held the post of country director.
The kidnapping comes close on the heels of an attack on the Indian consulate in Herat on May 23 by four heavily armed gunmen who were later repelled by security forces.
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