Telecom fraud: 3 more Mangaluru expats freed from Saudi prison after 13 years

[email protected] (CD Network)
May 8, 2016

Jeddah, May 8: Three of the four hapless Indian expatriates from Mangaluru, who had been languishing in jail in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia after being trapped in an illegal call routing (Hundi) case, have finally been released.

prisonAfter paying negotiated fine amount to Saudi Telecom Company, judge Saad Al Garni who is chairing the probe into the case had recently ordered the release of three prisoners.

Saudi officials confirmed that Riyaz Bajpe and Fairoos Ullal have been deported on May 7 from Jeddah International Airport and Nasir Bunder is waiting for his turn at the deportation center.

As per the complaint registered by Saudi Telecom Company in March 2003, as many as eight expatriate workers, all of them from Mangaluru and surrounding areas, had been implicated for allegedly passing and routing of illegal telephone calls and were sentenced to eight years of imprisonment by a Saudi Court. The accused were also asked by the Court to pay a fine of 6.7 million Saudi Riyals to the company.

However, even after serving more than a decade in jail most of them could not walk free from Jeddah jail as they were not able to pay the fine.

According to their family members these unfortunate expats have been made scapegoats for others' wrongdoings while they were unable to communicate in Arabic or English language. Apparently they were quite new to the Kingdom and they were exploited of their ignorance and were trapped as they are unaware of the situation in the gulf country.

A few philanthropic Indian businessmen in Saudi Arabia had paid a huge amount of money as fine through Indian consulate for the cause the release of these prisoners. NRI organisations such as India Fraternity Forum had also had taken up the issue with Indian Consulate in Jeddah several times.

Also Read: 

Emotional homecoming for Mangalorean youth after 9 years in Saudi prison

Comments

kohinoor metal
 - 
Monday, 9 May 2016

great work IFF MAY ALLAH BLESS UR WORK

anh
 - 
Monday, 9 May 2016

Good work done by Indian Feternity Forum and all the Donors. May Allah accept their good deeds.
IFF has been doing social works from many years for NRIs in KSA on humanity base.

Sohail
 - 
Monday, 9 May 2016

great relief for family. Good work by IFF.

Mohammad Azhar dubai
 - 
Sunday, 8 May 2016

Good work by IFF team .

Sohrab
 - 
Sunday, 8 May 2016

Congratulations to the persons released, the families, Mangaloreans, Kannadigas, all Indians in India and abroad. Good efforts and good work by IFF. Hatts off to their team and all those who have supported in this case. Its easy to comment. Not an easy task when we are out of our homeland. The cases runto generations.

Moosa B
 - 
Sunday, 8 May 2016

Dear Brother Bunaz, Appreciate your comment and I know its very easy to sit inside the AC room and comment about the scenario at the end.

You defintely lack knowledge in this matter.

Their actual prison period was 8 years, but they were unable to come out as they were charged with huge fine of SAR 6.7 millions. IFF coordinated very well with Consulate and other officials and Lawyer was appointed by IFF as well. Finally they were successful in reducing the fine amount.

Thats when generous good hearted Mangalorean Business men joined their hands to support IFF to pay the needy amount.

If need be please contact nearest IFF office if you need further information on this.

Ismail
 - 
Sunday, 8 May 2016

Masha Allah great work by iff , without iff effort and doners it couldn't happend. I closely watch this issue , and iff also donated some part of amount in this case and effort also done by iff. So some political party taking this opportunity by wrong way. When they had power they couldn't do any single help for this guys. But now they need name in this. Any how people will know about iff . They don't need any name , Masha Allah by there work and effort people recognized iff by lot of cases handled by iff. We know recently they had work for jubail incident, helped there family members to took body to india. Masha Allah great work by iff , keep it up . May Allah bless u both iff and doners . Ameen ya rub

Mohammed
 - 
Sunday, 8 May 2016

Masha Allah good work by IFF. keep going.

And Bunaz..if you think making follo up with authority to get them released then you should have tried.
Don't get jealous ..try to appreciate people's work or keep quite.

Bunaz
 - 
Sunday, 8 May 2016

In many years Iff and other organizations tried to solve but unfortunately they couldn't do that .
I don't agree without donor it could be .
Then why IFF couldn't do in the early years
They got enough punishment 13 years in jail . Easily IFF got credit
May Allah bless the donors

syed
 - 
Sunday, 8 May 2016

Alhamdulillah....good job done by iff and some indian businessmen in jubail.

Shahul
 - 
Sunday, 8 May 2016

Alhamdulilla

A big salute to kind heart generous Mangalorean business fraternity. without their help it was impossible to get release.

Mohammed Irfan
 - 
Sunday, 8 May 2016

Great job INDIAN FRATERNITY FORUM (IFF)... It was really a long struggle .... Alhamdulillah at the end of the day u have done really a great job ...... May Almighty Allah reward you...

kaleel
 - 
Sunday, 8 May 2016

Alhamdlilah...
Masha Allah ..great work IFF had taken up issue and hard work with support of Indian businessmen, dua of all
May Allah give good health those who work behind this issue, keep doing hard work towards to humanity.

IBRAHIM
 - 
Sunday, 8 May 2016

Masha allha great work by india fraternity forum .
with the help of great business donor's ,
may allha bless both of them.

nazeer
 - 
Sunday, 8 May 2016

Great work IFF Masha Allah, May Allah Accept the good deed.

asif
 - 
Sunday, 8 May 2016

Masha Allah Great Work 'Indian Fraternity forum (IFF) Allah Accept all u r good deeds..

A. Mangalore
 - 
Sunday, 8 May 2016

The highest credit should go to Mangalorean Businessmen who paid a huge amount of money to STC. Without their contribution it would have never been a release for them. IFF coordination is also appreciable.
The youngsters should learn the lesson from this episode that to earn money they should not go for a haram way to become a quick rich. There are still lots of people who are doing wrong way to earn money in the gulf. It is a warning call for all of them.

S.Asif Thodar
 - 
Sunday, 8 May 2016

Masha Allah....Great work Indian Fraternity Forum (IFF)

Abu Afhaam
 - 
Sunday, 8 May 2016

Masha Allah great job done by India Fraternity Forum, kudos to all the donars who joined hands. May allah accept all these things from you. Expatriates in the kingdom are still facing many issues, request with IFF and all selfless donars to join togather and work for the needy.

Abdul Latheef …
 - 
Sunday, 8 May 2016

This is great Achievement of India Fraternity forum. Keep It up.

abdul salam
 - 
Sunday, 8 May 2016

Masha Allah

Great Work done by IFF.

Sajid valavoor
 - 
Sunday, 8 May 2016

Masha ALLAH ...great job done by India fraternity forum with the support of kind hearted business people's, this shows if we unite to serve the community with all kind of support, nothing is impossible. ALLAH may accept this good deed and give it's hajar to one all, those who directly or indirectly supported this ...IFF hats off ... continue your service to the community...!!

Ahmed
 - 
Sunday, 8 May 2016

Great work from INDIA FRATERNITY FORUM (IFF).... MASHALLAH

Kaizer
 - 
Sunday, 8 May 2016

Well done IFF, it was not an easy case to handle yet Iff has achieved it and released them and made their families happy , truly the rewards for this will be given by ALLAH immensely .
May Allah accept the noble work and keep doing this kind of social work to humanity

Moosa B
 - 
Sunday, 8 May 2016

Great Work IFF and Team! Keep it up!!

Moosa B
 - 
Sunday, 8 May 2016

Great Work IFF Masha Allah!! May Allah Accept the good deed!!!

Mr
 - 
Sunday, 8 May 2016

Congratulations IFF May Allha accept all ur good deeds....

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News Network
June 7,2020

Mangaluru, Jun 7: The Sri Krishna temple at Udupi would not re-open on June 8 although permission has been given to all temples to allow devotees for darshan, Admaru mutt junior seer Paryaya Swami Ishapriya Teertha said on Saturday. He told reporters in Udupi that the mutt has decided not to allow devotees at present to join the fight against COVID-19 by the government, health department and the police.

The seer said the situation would be assessed in the next 20-30 days after which a decision to re-open the place of worship would be taken.

The health of the devotees and the staff at the mutt and temple would have to be protected.

However, pujas and rituals would continue to be held at the temple, he said.

Meanwhile, Dharmasthala dharmadhikari D Veerendra Heggade said in a press release that the Lord Manjunatheshwara temple in Dharmasthala in Dakshina Kannada district would open for devotees from June 8. He said 800-1,000 devotees would be allowed to have darshan at the temple every day, keeping with the regulations of the government.

Mass-feeding (annadhanam) in the Annapoorna hall would also be organised, maintaining social distance in view of the virus spread.

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Wafa Sultana
April 4,2020

Over the last couple of days when the world was occupied with unifying efforts to fight the deadly Covid19 pandemic, sections of Indian media provided viewers a familiar scapegoat – the Indian Muslims – who are often stereotyped as a community being constantly at loggerheads with the citizenry and the State. Biased media channels were quick to resort to blaming the entire Muslim community for the spread of the disease in the country, thanks to an ill-timed Tablighi Jamaat gathering at its international headquarters in Delhi’s Nizamuddin. Unsurprisingly, the opprobrium was also marked by a sudden spike in WhatsApp forwards of videos with people wearing skullcaps licking spoons and performing Sufi breathing rituals, suggesting some sort of wild conspiracy on the part of the community to spread the virus.  Some media channels were quick to formulate, hypothesize and provide loose definitions of a newly discovered form of Jihad i.e. ‘Corona Jihad ’ thereby vilifying the Islamic faith and its followers.

While the investigation on the culpability of the organizers of the Nizamuddin event is still ongoing, there is enough information to suggest that the meeting was held before any lockdown was in force, and the problem began when there was no way of getting people out once the curfew was announced. Be that as it may, there is little doubt that organizing a meet of such a scale when there is a global pandemic smacks of gross misjudgment, and definitely the organizers should be held accountable if laws or public orders were defied. Attendees who attempt to defy quarantine measures must be dealt with strictly. However, what is alarming is that the focus and narrative have now shifted from the unfortunate event at Nizamuddin to the Tablighi Jamaat itself.

For those not familiar with the Tablighi Jamaat, the organization was founded in 1926 in Mewat by scholar Maulana Mohammad Ilyas. The Jamaat’s main objective was to get Muslim youth to learn and practice pristine Islam shorn of external influences. This is achieved through individuals dedicating time for moral and spiritual upliftment secluded from the rest of the world for a brief period of time. There is no formal membership process. More senior and experienced participants typically travel from one mosque to other delivering talks on religious topics, inviting local youth to attend and then volunteer for a spiritual retreat for a fixed number of days to a mosque in a nearby town or village to present the message to their co-religionists. Contrary to ongoing Islamophobic rhetoric, the movement does not actively proselytize. The focus is rather on getting Muslims to learn the teachings and practices of Islam.  This grassroots India-based movement has now grown to almost all countries with substantial Muslim populations. Its annual meets, or ‘ijtemas’ are among the largest Islamic congregations in the world after the annual Haj. One of the reasons for its popularity and wide network in the subcontinent and wordwide is the fact that it has eschewed the need for scholarly intervention, focusing on peer learning of fundamental beliefs and practice rather than high-falutin ideological debates. The Tablighi Jamaat also distinguishes itself from other Islamic movements through its strictly apolitical nature, with a focus on individual self-improvement rather than political mobilization. Hardships and difficulty in the world are expected to be face through ‘sabr’ (patience) and ‘dua’ (supplication),  than through quest for political power or influence. In terms of ideology, it is very much based on mainstream Sunni Islamic principles derived from the Deobandi school.

So, why is all this background important in the current context? While biased media entities have expectedly brought out their Islamophobic paraphernalia out for full display, more neutral commentators have tried to paint the Tablighi Jamaat as a fringe group and have tried to distance it from 'mainstream Muslims'. While the intent is no doubt innocent, this is a trap we must not fall into. This narrative, unfortunately, is also gaining ground due to apathy some Muslims have for the group, accusing it of being “disconnected from the realities of the world”. Unlike other Muslim organizations and movements, the Tablighi Jamat, by virtue of its political indifference, does not boast of high-profile advocates and savvy spokespersons who can defend it in mainstream or social media.  The use of adjectives such as 'outdated' and 'orthodox' by liberal columnists to describe the Jamaat feeds into the malignant attempt to change the narrative from the control of the spread of the pandemic due to the Nizamuddin gathering to 'raison d'etre' of the organization itself.

A large mainstream religious group like the Tablighi Jamaat with nearly a hundred-year history, normally considered to be peaceful, apolitical and minding its own business is now suddenly being villainized owing to unfortunate circumstances. Biased media reactions filled with disgust and hate seem to feed the Indian public conscience with a danngerous misconception - to be a nominal Muslim is okay but being a practicing one is not.  For those committed to the truth and fighting the spread of Islamophobia, the temptation to throw the entire Tablighi Jamaat under the bus must be resisted.

The writer is a lawyer and research scholar at Qatar University. Her research interests include Islamic law and politics.

Comments

zahoorahmed
 - 
Saturday, 4 Apr 2020

great article! provides a great perspective on tableeg jamat

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News Network
July 16,2020

Bengaluru, Jul 16: Karnataka Medical Education Minister K Sudhakar on Thursday paid a surprise visit to the C V Raman Hospital in Bengaluru and urged the administration to follow COVID-19 guidelines properly. He also took stock of the hospital's preparedness to fight the deadly virus.

The minister noticed a number of flaws and warned the hospital to go strictly by the guidelines. He saw that despite 15 high-flow oxygen beds lay vacant, only two patients were admitted. He then asked the hospital to send asymptomatic and mildly symptomatic patients to COVID-19 care centres so that beds were available to those who need these.

"Doctors' profession is a noble one and in a situation like this everyone should perform their duty with utmost humanity and compassion. During this crisis, we should all be kind and empathetic," the minister said. He also ordered the suspension of two officials for not following the guidelines and not giving the right treatment to patients.

He noticed that the hospital lab collected less number of swabs and instructed them to collect a minimum of 500 swabs per day. Pointing out the under-utilised beds and ICUs, he observed that because of such negligence by officials, the government is being blamed despite working day and night for the past four-five months.
During this visit, the minister also interacted with the patients through video call and enquired about the services provided to them by the hospital.

"Surprise visits will continue. I will be in touch with every lab and get the right number of tests done on a daily basis," the minister said while speaking to the media.

He also urged the people who have recovered from COVID-19 to donate their plasma to save other lives, adding that donors will receive a reward of Rs 5000 as a token of appreciation.

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