Indian rots in Saudi jail for 15 years; family seeks Swaraj's help

Irfan, who hails from Bihar, was arrested in 2000 for allegedly violating two Saudi rights
Irfan’s relative has alleged that he was framed by a Mumbai-based firm which had hired him in 1996 to work in the Gulf country

Man from Bihar rots in Saudi jail for over 15 years family asks Sushma Swaraj for help

Mohammed Irfan, 42, was arrested for allegedly stealing from a local government warehouse in Jeddah in January 2000 and since then he has been in jail, according to a December 21, 2016 correspondence between the Ministry of External Affairs and National Commission for Minorities (NCM) member Praveen Davar. He used to work there as an air-conditioner technician.

Irfan was arrested for allegedly violating two Saudi rights - public and private. While Irfan, who hails from Bihar's Piplawan village, has served imprisonment of 18 months under public right, he continues to be in prison for not fulfilling private right, under which he is required to pay a penalty amount of around ₹1.29 crore (7,11,562 Saudi Riyals) to the Saudi Health Ministry.

Irfan is accused of selling the medicines to Mansoor Ali Hakeem, a Bangladeshi national, and transmitting cost of the medicines. The matter was taken up several times with the Saudi authorities concerned in the past, but no positive reply has been received till now in this regard.

Irfan's cousin visited Jeddah during February-March, last year to enquire about the case and to meet him. His father Shakeel Ahmed and his brother Istekhar await his release in the Phulwari Shareef village.

A tutor by profession, Istekhar said the family had in the past approached several authorities including the Prime Minister's Office and the External Affairs Ministry for help when Pranab Mukherjee, now President, was the External Affairs Minister.

"We sold our land and house to see my brother is released. A person who promised us help, took money but did not help us. We now urge (Sushma) Swaraj ji to help my brother return. My parents have turned old now, waiting to see their son. We earnestly request the minister to help us," he urged.

Istekhar also alleged that his brother was framed by a Mumbai-based firm which had hired him in 1996 to work in the Gulf country. Irfan wanted to return home in the year he was arrested, but his employer was against it, he claimed. He charged the employer with forcibly making Irfan work two years beyond the agreement and also paying less than what was assured.

Meanwhile, Davar has urged individuals and NGOs to extend monetary help to the family to secure Irfan's release.