Five Indian men return to country after spending 18 years in Dubai jail
Representative image of a jail
Five men from the southern Indian state of Telangana returned to their families after being incarcerated in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for 18 years. Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), a political party in Telangana, has claimed that it was due to efforts from its leader KT Rama Rao (KTR). All five men are residents of Ranjanna Sirisilla District in the state.
What were the charges against these men?
The men, who were working in Dubai, were accused of killing a Nepali national. Following a court trial there, they were sentenced to 25 years in jail in the year 2005.
How was their release secured?
As per the claim made by BRS, party leader KTR travelled to Nepal to meet family members of the deceased, Bahadur Singh. He worked as a watchman in Dubai.
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As per the prevalent laws, it was possible to secure the men's release if family members of the deceased agreed to forgive the accused. BRS claimed that KTR convinced Singh's family to do so.
The family members signed amnesty and with the help of lawyers, a petition was made to the courts to release the men. After the initial plea was denied, another one was made in September 2023. Eventually, the petition paved the way for the men's release.
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The names of the five men are Shivarathri Mallesh, Shivarathri Ravi, Gollem Nampally, Dundugula Laxman, and Shivarathri Hanmanthu.
The BRS claimed that after Bahadur Singh's family facilitated the return of the accused, KTR offered a cheque of INR 15 lakh (approxUSD 19,000) to the familyas some form of compensation for the loss they had suffered.
(With inputs from agencies)