Two Indian nationals from Telangana and Karnataka are reportedly being held in Saudi Arabia and Dubai, with their families seeking information about their legal status and assistance from Indian authorities.
Mohammed Afroz, a resident of Madina Nagar in Yakutpura, Hyderabad, has reportedly been detained at the Al-Shumaisi Detention Centre in Jeddah for nearly two years.
According to his mother, Zaib Unnisa, Afroz travelled to Saudi Arabia in February 2014 for employment as a house driver and later worked as a delivery boy. The family has reportedly been unable to ascertain the circumstances of his arrest or details of any case against him.
In a separate case, Salman Fariz of Mysuru, Karnataka, is reportedly lodged in a jail in Dubai. According to his family, Fariz travelled to the UAE after being offered a delivery job and later joined Zaynx Delivery Services L.L.C. The family alleges that he was not paid for several months and that his passport remained with his employer.
They subsequently lost contact with him and later learnt of his reported arrest by Dubai Police. The families have sought consular and legal assistance and information about the two men's whereabouts, welfare and legal status.
Reacting to the cases, Hyderabad based Majlis Bachao Tehreek (MBT) spokesperson and activist Amjed Ullah Khan has urged External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to direct Indian diplomatic missions in Saudi Arabia and the UAE to verify the cases and provide necessary assistance.
Khan has also sought the release and repatriation of the two men if there are no legal impediments, and urged the government to take up the matters with the respective authorities on humanitarian grounds.
