Tortured in Saudi desert, Ullal youth pleads for his rescue from the clutches of sponsor

Mangalore, Jun 23: A woman has sought Mangalore city police's help to rescue her young son from the clutches of an unknown sponsor in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

23-year-old Ashraf, son of Asiyamma and Late Abdul Gafoor from Kotepur, Ullal, had left for the oil rich nation on April 27 after obtaining a visa sent by a third party to Nisa Travel Agency in Kannur, Kerala.

However, a few days later Ashraf called Asiyamma to inform her that the visa agent had deceived him. Though he had been promised the job of 'office boy', he was forced to work day and night in an isolated desert.

After this call there was no communication from Ashraf for nearly two months. However, recently Asiyamma's brother received an unknown ISD missed call. When he called back, he heard the voice of Ashraf, who explained about the physical and mental torture that he has been undergoing in the desert. He informed that his health condition has also deteriorated due to torture and lack of food. He also requested to rescue him from the clutches of the cruel sponsor.

Asiyamma, who submitted a memorandum to city police chief Seemant Kumar Singh on Friday, demanding the police intervention to rescue Ashraf, said that she had spent over Rs 60,000 to send her bread winning son abroad.

She said that one Farooq from Manjeshwar had initially approached her son to inform about the requirement of an 'office boy' in KSA.

When contacted, Farooq said that his neighbor Abdullah, who is working in KSA, had asked him to inform if there was any aspirant for 'office boy' visa.

“Accordingly, I contacted one of my relatives, who in turn suggested Ashraf's name. As Ashraf agreed to move abroad, Abdullah called me to inform that the visa had already been sent to 'Nisa Travel Agency.  I asked Ashraf to collect it after confirming its authenticity, as I had not even seen it”, Farooq said.

Asiyamma said that when her brothers recently contacted Abdullah directly and told him about Ashraf's hardships, he demanded a sum of Saudi Riyal 10,000, i.e. Rs 1.5 lakh to rescue him.

She said that Abdullah himself is mainly responsible for her son's condition as it was he who received him at an Airport in KSA and handed him over to an unknown sponsor.

She urged Mr Singh to inquire into this 'cheating' case and help her son to get freedom from the unknown sponsor.

Farooq said that he was shocked when he came to know the fact. “Later, I also contacted Abdullah over phone to ask whether he had cheated an innocent youth after promising him 'office boy' job? However, I did not get proper reply from him. He just told me that the visa was sent by some of his relatives and not by him”, he said. “I even did not know who the agent of that visa was”, Farooq added.

Having completed only his primary education, Ashraf was working at a mill in Ullal before flying abroad.