Riyadh: Suleiman Nellyadi Released from Jail After Three Years, Thanks to IFF
Media Release
Riyadh, Apr 25: After spending about three years in a Saudi prison, Suleiman Abubakker Nelyadi from Puttur was released on Monday April 25 from Taif Jail, after paying the blood money of 675,000 Saudi Riyals from insurance company to the family of six Arabs killed in the 2008 accident when their car rammed into Suleiman’s stationed truck in the city of Taif.
As the blood money was to be paid by the person who the court decides to be responsible for anyone's death, Suleiman was expected to pay the sum in compensation, even a fraction of which he could not attord. So he had to spend a prison sentence until the blood money was paid.
When he did not have anyone to take up his case, the India Fraternity Forum (IFF), with units at Taif, Jeddah, Riyadh and Dammam swung into action. In consultation with the welfare section of the consulate general of India in Jeddah, Althaf, the Forum coordinator in Taif was authorized to plead the case with the goverment departments concerned and since then Althaf has been regularly following up the case.
The Case
Suleiman was working as a truck driver for the past 25 years in India. To give a better life to his ailing mother, wife and five children - two sons and three daughters - 53-year-old Suleiman left for Saudi Arabia on January 29, 2008.
Although, he traveled to KSA on employment visa sponsored by Saudi national Abdul Hadi Sannam, Suleiman was jobless for almost two months even after arriving at a remote tribal village in KSA. At last, Suleiman was employed as a truck driver with Raza Al-Tami, a relative of Abdul Hadi.
Tragedy struck Suleiman within two months of working as a truck driver. A marauding car full of passengers rammed his truck that was parked beside the road, killing six Saudi nationals which led to his arrest by Saudi policemen who put him in jail.
His case came up for hearing at Saudi court after a few months of tragic incident and the court imposed him a fine of Saudi Riyals 675,000, almost Rs 70 lac which would set him free.
Suleiman had left for KSA by selling his 10 cents residential plot, which was all he could possess after his 25 years of earning at Nellyadi here. Suleiman was shifted to central jail at Taif without any access to get in touch with his family back home.
The distressed family pleaded to social welfare organizations for early release of Suleiman. They even sent a plea to Indian Embassy in Riyadh, minister of external affairs S M Krishna, Indian President Pratibha Patil, Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh and also state chief minister B S Yeddyurappa to try their best for Suleiman’s early release. But no concrete actions were being taken in this direction.
All along, IFF helped Suleiman's family to cope with tragedy, assisting financially as well as by approaching organizations and individuals to look into Suleiman's case. Finally it approached the insurance company which was providing the insurance cover to the truck.
Althaf coordinated with India Fraternity Forum, Riyadh, which succeeded in convincing the insurance company to approve the payment of compensation to victims’ family. A couple of days ago the insurance company issued a cheque for SR 675,000 and submitted the same to the Taif court. Sulaiman has released from the Taif jail on April 25 after completing all necessary formalities.
Rafeeq Kulai of IFF Taif said, "Since the beginning, we the IFF have stood behind this case, providing help to his family in India. For blood money, we coordinated among the insurance company of the unfortunate truck, truck owner and the family of Saudi nationals who were killed in the incident.”
Forum members in Taif, Riyadh, Dammam and Jeddah including Rafeeq Kulai, Noushad Katipala, Hussain Jokkatte, Althaf Bajpe, Sulaiman Manjeshwar have been actively involved in the successful negotiation with the insurance company, family members of victims and government authorities in order to facilitate the release of Sulaiman.
There are a number of cases related to human rights of Indian nationals here in the Kingdom. IFF has been constantly working on the front. "Here in Saudi we the IFF are also taking up cases related to human rights of expatriates," they said, and claimed that about 1,100 such cases involving expatriates have been cleared only in Riyadh.
The efforts made by the IFF have been well appreciated by all communities as well as the NRIs.