AN expatriate who spent almost two decades in a Bahrain jail flew home yesterday to be reunited with his family after he was released.
Indian Shahul Hameed Kadar, a resident of Saudi Arabia, was arrested on suspicion of drug trafficking at Bahrain International Airport (BIA) on June 9, 2003.
The native of Trissur, Kerala was in transit and had arrived on a flight from Chennai.
The 62-year-old, who claimed he was duped by a friend, was sentenced to life in prison after he was unable to prove his innocence.
Mr Kadar, who worked as a salesman in Dammam, said he had been handed over a package by a friend in India who had told him it contained medicines for a relative in Jeddah.
However, police at BIA found drugs in the package and he was arrested.
Indian Embassy officials and community leaders rallied in support of Mr Kadar who was released from Jau prison yesterday
“We thank the Bahraini authorities for their assistance, along with Indian associations concerned, particularly the Indian Community Relief Fund and the Indian Club for their help and support,” Ambassador Piyush Srivastava told the GDN yesterday.
Indian Club vice-president Sany Paul said a number of people were involved in securing the release of Mr Kadar.
“Senior bureaucrats in India and Bahrain, social workers and senior politicians from India helped to get him released.
“We also acknowledge the continuous efforts of kind-hearted resident Mohammed Iqbal for the past 15 months in getting Mr Kadar released.”
Mr Kadar told the GDN that he missed very important occasions and events in the family, such as the marriages of his three children; he is now a grandfather of seven.
His father died of a heart attack in 2006 after learning of his life sentence.
“My 82-year-old mother and the rest of my family are all waiting for me and I am thankful to all who helped me,” he said before boarding an Air Arabia flight.
“I was cheated and unfortunately I could not prove it. I have no past records or charges of any kind, still I lost 19 years of my life and my family struggled as I was the only earning member.”
However, he said he had an important message for every traveller.
“Never carry any unknown baggage / packets from anybody when travelling abroad. It is okay to deny such requests. Even if doing so spoils the relationship, it will save your life.”
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