TRIVANDRUM(India), February28 2012: Four Keralites stranded in a Saudi Arabian jail returned home on Monday to an emotional reunion with their
families.The four, Rajeev Kurup, Ramanandan Sajeev, Rafi Mohammed and Ravindran Vipin, who were languishing in a jail at Dammam even after completing their term for want of sponsors, were received by their family members and friends when they arrived at the international airport here early this morning. The dream of the four, who had gone to the Gulf in search of greener pastures, was shattered when they were arrested by the Saudi police for staying in the country illegally. Their sponsors had reported them missing when the police caught up with them. Their return was made possible by ‘Swapna Saphalyam’, a humanitarian partnership between the Kerala government and Non-Resident Indians. The scheme evolved from an appeal Chief Minister Oommen Chandy made to the NRIs at the Global NRK meet held here in December last year to help secure the release and return of Keralities languishing in various jails in the Gulf countries. The unique scheme took off when businessman-philanthropist Siddeek Ahmed and several community organisations in Saudi Arabia came forward to help the prisoners to come out and fund their return journey. The four, who returned on Monday, form the second batch of beneficiaries of the scheme. The first to return under the scheme was Kalacheri Mathew, a construction worker, who spent six months in a Saudi jail. He returned on February 10 with the help of ticket arranged by Siddeek. The five are among hundreds of Keralites languishing in jails for no fault of theirs or due to minor procedural lapses. Official estimates state over 1,400 Indians are languishing in Saudi jails alone. Of this, nearly 800 are Keralites. Siddeek, who heads the ITL-Eram conglomerate which has a presence in the entire Gulf region and in India, has promised to fund the return journey of all the prisoners from Kerala in Saudi Arabia provided the government ensured their release from the prison. The chief minister has promised to send an official to the Gulf countries to liaise with the Indian mission, Gulf government authorities and NRK community groups to secure the release of those in the jails. Siddeek said a large number of those in the jails were ignorant victims of the visa rackets. “Most of them have ended up in jail for none of their fault and are forced to remain there even after serving their term”, he added. He said several community groups had come forward to identify the victims and lend them necessary support to come out of the jails. The businessman has also appointed his representatives in Jeddah, Riyadh and Dammam to identify persons in distress. Siddeek, who has been engaged in deportation activities with the help of various community groups for the past five years, expressed gratitude to the government for coming forward to provide a common umbrella. This, he said, will go a long way in giving a fresh lease of life to many. The businessman also serves on the boards of the state-run Inkel Limited, Inkel-Kinfra Infrastructure Projects Limited and Al Barakah Financial Services, the Shariah-compliant financial institution floated for infrastructure funding.
