In search of a better livelihood, five men from Telangana went to Dubai around 19 years ago. But, their dreams took an unfortunate turn when they got entangled in a murder case, resulting in their imprisonment.
Five persons named Shivarathri Mallesh, Shivarathri Ravi, Nampelli Venkatesh, Dandugula Laxman from Rajanna Sircilla district, and Shivarathri Hanmanthu from Jagtial district were lodged in Dubai Prison in connection with the death case of a Nepali in 2005. Despite paying compensation to the victim’s family as per Dubai’s Sharia Law, the five Indian nationals have been languishing in the Dubai Jail since then.
2013
In 2013, moved by the families’ plight, Sircilla MLA KT Rama Rao personally visited Nepal to meet the family members of the deceased. The victim’s family accepted and received Rs.15 lakhs as ‘victim’s compensation’ as per Sharia Law ‘Diyyah’ (also referred to as ‘blood money’). Later, the victim’s family members submitted the mercy petition documents to the government for the repatriation of five prisoners.
However, due to some reasons and the gravity of the crime, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) government didn’t approve the mercy petition. This is where the arduous efforts of the then Minister KTR began. The former Minister took the case personally and made multiple appeals to the Dubai government.
March 2023
In March 2023, KTR handed over the request letter to the Ambassador of UAE to India, H.E. Dr. Abdulnasser Alshaali at Pragathi Bhavan, Hyderabad, for the release of five prisoners. In the letter, the former Minister pointed out that he took it to the notice of the Embassy of India, and the Embassy of UAE several times. However, the UAE Court has rejected their mercy petition. KTR added that the only way left for them to be released is through the approval of their mercy petition by the Prime Minister of UAE, H.H. Sheik Mohammed bin Rashid AL Maktoum.
September 2023
Again, in September 2023, KTR intensified efforts to get them repatriated at the earliest. KTR who went to Dubai in September 2023 for a business trip had pursued the case. KTR spoke to the Indian Consul General in Dubai, the Arab lawyer who is handling the case, and other government officials and urged for the mercy petition approval. He once again brought the facts of the case to the notice of Indian consul officials and the Dubai government officers. Expressing his concern, KTR requested the UAE government to approve the mercy petition considering that the five NRIs have already served a sentence of 15 years and also hold a good conduct certificate from the jail authorities.
As the Dubai court rejected the case, KTR urged the officials to repatriate them with the approval of the mercy petition by UAE ruler Sheikh Mohammed. Also, the then Minister had met a few businessmen who had close ties with the ruler’s family and requested their help in the release of the NRIs. With KTR’s intervention, the businessmen assured they would address the issue within the purview of local laws to the Dubai government.
Additionally, KTR made an earnest appeal to Indian Consul General Ram Kumar to put special efforts into solving the case and promised all the support at the personal level and also from the government side.
The release
Finally, due to the persistence of KTR, the Dubai court approved the release of one Dandugula Laxman in September 2023 and he was released two months back. Another person named Shivarathri Hanumanthu landed in India in mid-February, and two persons named Shivarathri Mallesh and Shivarathri Ravi reached their homes today. The fifth person Nampalli Venkatesh would be freed in the next month.
At the Hyderabad airport, it was an emotional reunion for the family members after 18 years. The family members hugged each other as tears rolled down their eyes. They were grateful for the efforts of KTR and thanked him for going the extra mile to effect the release of their loved ones from jail. Notably, KTR also facilitated their return to India by bearing the expenses of flight tickets.