Mangaluru man languising in Saudi jail - Family seeks Indian govt's intervention

Mangaluru: A 65-year-old man from Mangaluru is reportedly languishing in a jail in Saudi Arabia for over 9 months, prompting his family to implore the Indian External Affairs Ministry for help for his release.

According to his family, Ismail Dandarakondi had been in the Gulf nation for over 27 years. He was operating a laundry shop in Riyadh for nearly a decade.

The family claimed that Ismail had borrowed money. Due to mounting debts, he was compelled to relinquish the ownership to another individual.

The family further claimed that an Egyptian national lodged a complaint of financial fraud following which Ismail was arrested by Saudi authorities. Ismail had borrowed 15,000 Riyals, of which 6,000 Riyals were repaid. Only about 9,000 Riyals were pending. Though the Saudi law prohibits charging interest, the Egyptian individual has demanded a payment of 38,000 Riyals including interest for the borrowings, they alleged.

The family said that Ismail suffers from severe diabetes, high blood pressure, and related health complications. Moved by her father’s plight, Ismail’s daughter has written a letter to Foreign Minister S Jaishankar, beseeching for governmental assistance in securing her father’s release.

Relatives of Ismail disclosed that they have received assurances from the Ministry of External Affairs.