Hyderabad: Mr Motan Naresh, a native of Kannapur village in Jagtial mandal of Karimnagar was arrested a few months ago in Dubai for carrying banned medicines.
In a similar case, a civil engineer from Karimnagar was arrested and sentenced to four years in Dubai for carrying poppy seeds (khus khus), which is banned in the UAE.
Mr Naresh was working at a cleaning services firm. Ms Lakshmi said, “My husband gets severe bouts of stomach pain and takes Ultrafiz tablets as suggested by a doctor of India.
One of his friends, Ravi, asked for some tablets and after my husband gave it to him, he started blackmailing my husband for 10,000 AED (Arab Emirates Dirham) saying that the medicine was banned.
“Ravi eventually informed the Dubai police and my husband was arrested and convicted. We are told he has to serve four years in jail,” Ms Lakshmi added.
Mr Naresh hasn’t spoken to his family since April and his health is deteriorating, said his brother, pleading that the government should lobby for his release.
Families of such victims are approaching the authorities for help, however, as the emigrants have been convicted, the district authorities can’t help.
Unlike cases where a native of India is convicted for heinous crimes, such cases should be solved through lobbying by the government, say activists.
“What has happened has happened. At least the government should conduct more awareness camps. Also, why can’t the banned substances be checked and discarded at our airports?” asked Mr Bheem Reddy, vice-president, Migrant Rights Council.
“Despite awareness camps, people who go to work in foreign countries land in trouble. We even conduct home camps for people who might miss the orientation sessions,” an official said.
