Indian in Saudi to return home after year-long detention

An Indian expatriate in Saudi Arabia, who remained behind bars for nearly an year as he failed to prove his identity, will be sent back to India soon, a media report said today.
Abdul Hameed lost his passport and mobile phone and was not in possession of any photocopy of his travel document to prove his identity and home country.
To add to the confusion, he was not even able to recall the mobile number of his wife.
While behind bars in Jeddah, the only contact number he could only recollect was his neighbour's. But even the neighbour sold the house and was not reachable.

Hameed, a native of Kadapa district in Andhra Pradesh, was working in Kuwait and his sponsor brought him to the Kingdom two years ago on temporary visa. Hameed lost his mobile phone and original passport, sources were quoted as saying by the Arab News.
He was detained by security authorities for not possessing any documents, sources said, adding Hameed was later shifted to the deportation centre, where he remained lodged.

The Indian consulate was also unable to take up the case further as Hameed has no proof of his identity, the report said.
Usually, the consulate assists in issuing an emergency certificate enabling the Indian detainee to travel back home if he produces some document to prove his nativity and address of residence.

The consulate's efforts to trace Hameed's family also drew blank as they did not find anyone at the address given by him, the report said.
However, the consulate's efforts bore fruit when it succeeded in tracing his family to a different city of which Hameed was not aware of.
Hameed's wife, Sirajul, has sent his passport copy and other related documents to the consulate and he would soon be sent back to India, sources were quoted as saying by the media report.
"I have been running from pillar to post to locate my husband but luckily I came to know about him," Sirajul said.