Kapurthala man freed from Saudi jail, thanks to Seechewal

A young man from Kapurthala district, Akshay Kumar (name changed), went to Saudi Arabia for work, where he was falsely accused of theft by his employer and imprisoned. After enduring more than three-and- a-half years of imprisonment for a sentence that was meant to last just 10 months, he has finally returned home, thanks to the tireless efforts of Rajya Sabha member Sant Balbir Singh Seechewal.

Akshay shared that he was never even informed about what item he had stolen. He said many Indians in Saudi prisons are similarly trapped in false cases and have been languishing there for years. Akshay recalled that even after completing his sentence, he was kept behind bars for two more years, then he had lost all hope of ever seeing life beyond the high prison walls again.

His wife did not know his whereabouts for eight months. She said her husband had been working as a driver in Saudi Arabia for several years. In 2022, he returned home on a two-month leave, but after going back, all contact with him had been lost for months. Finally, on August 25, 2023, she reached out to Sant Seechewal’s office for help. Following his intervention, it was discovered that Akshay had been charged with theft and sentenced to 10 months in jail.

Even after his sentence had ended, the company demanded 31,000 riyals (around ₹7.25 lakh) for his release — an amount far beyond the family’s means. The family, already struggling financially, was facing hardships. Left with no options, they again approached Seechewal, whose efforts ensured that Akshay was released and safely brought back to India — without paying a single penny.

Seechewal expressed concern over the exploitation of Indians in Arab countries. He said many innocent workers are falsely implicated in theft cases and punished because such cases are processed quickly. He emphasised the need to implement a policy to prevent such exploitation and to ensure justice for Indians trapped abroad.