Telecom fraud: 3 more Mangaluru expats freed from Saudi prison after 13 years

[email protected] (CD Network)
May 8, 2016

Jeddah, May 8: Three of the four hapless Indian expatriates from Mangaluru, who had been languishing in jail in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia after being trapped in an illegal call routing (Hundi) case, have finally been released.

prison
After paying negotiated fine amount to Saudi Telecom Company, judge Saad Al Garni who is chairing the probe into the case had recently ordered the release of three prisoners.

Saudi officials confirmed that Riyaz Bajpe and Fairoos Ullal have been deported on May 7 from Jeddah International Airport and Nasir Bunder is waiting for his turn at the deportation center.

As per the complaint registered by Saudi Telecom Company in March 2003, as many as eight expatriate workers, all of them from Mangaluru and surrounding areas, had been implicated for allegedly passing and routing of illegal telephone calls and were sentenced to eight years of imprisonment by a Saudi Court. The accused were also asked by the Court to pay a fine of 6.7 million Saudi Riyals to the company.

However, even after serving more than a decade in jail most of them could not walk free from Jeddah jail as they were not able to pay the fine.

According to their family members these unfortunate expats have been made scapegoats for others' wrongdoings while they were unable to communicate in Arabic or English language. Apparently they were quite new to the Kingdom and they were exploited of their ignorance and were trapped as they are unaware of the situation in the gulf country.

A few philanthropic Indian businessmen in Saudi Arabia had paid a huge amount of money as fine through Indian consulate for the cause the release of these prisoners. NRI organisations such as India Fraternity Forum had also had taken up the issue with Indian Consulate in Jeddah several times.

Also Read: 

Emotional homecoming for Mangalorean youth after 9 years in Saudi prison

Comments

kohinoor metal
 - 
Monday, 9 May 2016

great work IFF MAY ALLAH BLESS UR WORK

anh
 - 
Monday, 9 May 2016

Good work done by Indian Feternity Forum and all the Donors. May Allah accept their good deeds.
IFF has been doing social works from many years for NRIs in KSA on humanity base.

Sohail
 - 
Monday, 9 May 2016

great relief for family. Good work by IFF.

Mohammad Azhar dubai
 - 
Sunday, 8 May 2016

Good work by IFF team .

Sohrab
 - 
Sunday, 8 May 2016

Congratulations to the persons released, the families, Mangaloreans, Kannadigas, all Indians in India and abroad. Good efforts and good work by IFF. Hatts off to their team and all those who have supported in this case. Its easy to comment. Not an easy task when we are out of our homeland. The cases runto generations.

Moosa B
 - 
Sunday, 8 May 2016

Dear Brother Bunaz, Appreciate your comment and I know its very easy to sit inside the AC room and comment about the scenario at the end.

You defintely lack knowledge in this matter.

Their actual prison period was 8 years, but they were unable to come out as they were charged with huge fine of SAR 6.7 millions. IFF coordinated very well with Consulate and other officials and Lawyer was appointed by IFF as well. Finally they were successful in reducing the fine amount.

Thats when generous good hearted Mangalorean Business men joined their hands to support IFF to pay the needy amount.

If need be please contact nearest IFF office if you need further information on this.

Ismail
 - 
Sunday, 8 May 2016

Masha Allah great work by iff , without iff effort and doners it couldn't happend. I closely watch this issue , and iff also donated some part of amount in this case and effort also done by iff. So some political party taking this opportunity by wrong way. When they had power they couldn't do any single help for this guys. But now they need name in this. Any how people will know about iff . They don't need any name , Masha Allah by there work and effort people recognized iff by lot of cases handled by iff. We know recently they had work for jubail incident, helped there family members to took body to india. Masha Allah great work by iff , keep it up . May Allah bless u both iff and doners . Ameen ya rub

Mohammed
 - 
Sunday, 8 May 2016

Masha Allah good work by IFF. keep going.

And Bunaz..if you think making follo up with authority to get them released then you should have tried.
Don't get jealous ..try to appreciate people's work or keep quite.

Bunaz
 - 
Sunday, 8 May 2016

In many years Iff and other organizations tried to solve but unfortunately they couldn't do that .
I don't agree without donor it could be .
Then why IFF couldn't do in the early years
They got enough punishment 13 years in jail . Easily IFF got credit
May Allah bless the donors

syed
 - 
Sunday, 8 May 2016

Alhamdulillah....good job done by iff and some indian businessmen in jubail.

Shahul
 - 
Sunday, 8 May 2016

Alhamdulilla

A big salute to kind heart generous Mangalorean business fraternity. without their help it was impossible to get release.

Mohammed Irfan
 - 
Sunday, 8 May 2016

Great job INDIAN FRATERNITY FORUM (IFF)... It was really a long struggle .... Alhamdulillah at the end of the day u have done really a great job ...... May Almighty Allah reward you...

kaleel
 - 
Sunday, 8 May 2016

Alhamdlilah...
Masha Allah ..great work IFF had taken up issue and hard work with support of Indian businessmen, dua of all
May Allah give good health those who work behind this issue, keep doing hard work towards to humanity.

IBRAHIM
 - 
Sunday, 8 May 2016

Masha allha great work by india fraternity forum .
with the help of great business donor's ,
may allha bless both of them.

nazeer
 - 
Sunday, 8 May 2016

Great work IFF Masha Allah, May Allah Accept the good deed.

asif
 - 
Sunday, 8 May 2016

Masha Allah Great Work 'Indian Fraternity forum (IFF) Allah Accept all u r good deeds..

A. Mangalore
 - 
Sunday, 8 May 2016

The highest credit should go to Mangalorean Businessmen who paid a huge amount of money to STC. Without their contribution it would have never been a release for them. IFF coordination is also appreciable.
The youngsters should learn the lesson from this episode that to earn money they should not go for a haram way to become a quick rich. There are still lots of people who are doing wrong way to earn money in the gulf. It is a warning call for all of them.

S.Asif Thodar
 - 
Sunday, 8 May 2016

Masha Allah....Great work Indian Fraternity Forum (IFF)

Abu Afhaam
 - 
Sunday, 8 May 2016

Masha Allah great job done by India Fraternity Forum, kudos to all the donars who joined hands. May allah accept all these things from you. Expatriates in the kingdom are still facing many issues, request with IFF and all selfless donars to join togather and work for the needy.

Abdul Latheef …
 - 
Sunday, 8 May 2016

This is great Achievement of India Fraternity forum. Keep It up.

abdul salam
 - 
Sunday, 8 May 2016

Masha Allah

Great Work done by IFF.

Sajid valavoor
 - 
Sunday, 8 May 2016

Masha ALLAH ...great job done by India fraternity forum with the support of kind hearted business people's, this shows if we unite to serve the community with all kind of support, nothing is impossible. ALLAH may accept this good deed and give it's hajar to one all, those who directly or indirectly supported this ...IFF hats off ... continue your service to the community...!!

Ahmed
 - 
Sunday, 8 May 2016

Great work from INDIA FRATERNITY FORUM (IFF).... MASHALLAH

Kaizer
 - 
Sunday, 8 May 2016

Well done IFF, it was not an easy case to handle yet Iff has achieved it and released them and made their families happy , truly the rewards for this will be given by ALLAH immensely .
May Allah accept the noble work and keep doing this kind of social work to humanity

Moosa B
 - 
Sunday, 8 May 2016

Great Work IFF and Team! Keep it up!!

Moosa B
 - 
Sunday, 8 May 2016

Great Work IFF Masha Allah!! May Allah Accept the good deed!!!

Mr
 - 
Sunday, 8 May 2016

Congratulations IFF May Allha accept all ur good deeds....

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News Network
December 15,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 15: Air India Express has announced that it will resume direct flight services between Mangaluru and Muscat from March 2026, restoring an important international air link for passengers from the coastal region.

Airport authorities said the service will operate twice a week—on Sundays and Tuesdays—from March 1. The initial flights are scheduled on March 3, 8 and 10, followed by March 15 and 17, with the same operating pattern to continue thereafter. The flight duration is approximately three hours and 25 minutes.

The Mangaluru–Muscat route was earlier operated under the 2025 summer schedule, with services beginning on July 14. At that time, Air India Express had operated four flights a week before suspending the service.

Officials said the summer schedule will come into effect from March 29, after which changes in flight timings and departure schedules from Mangaluru are expected. Passengers have been advised to check the latest schedules while planning their travel.

The resumption of direct flights to Muscat is expected to significantly benefit expatriates, business travellers and others, further strengthening Mangaluru’s air connectivity with the Gulf region.

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News Network
December 16,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 16: The Mangaluru City police have significantly escalated their campaign against drug trafficking, arresting 25 individuals and booking 12 cases under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act between November 30 and December 13. The crackdown resulted in the seizure of a substantial quantity of illicit substances, including 685.6 grams of MDMA and 1.5 kg of ganja.

The success of this recent drive has been significantly boosted by the city’s innovative, QR code-based anonymous reporting system.

"The anonymous reporting system has received an encouraging response. Several recent arrests were made based on inputs received through this system, helping police tighten the noose around drug peddlers," said the City Police Commissioner.

The latest arrests contribute to a robust year-to-date record, underscoring the police's relentless commitment to combating the drug menace.

Up to December 14 this year, the police have registered a total of 107 cases of drug peddling, leading to the arrest of 219 peddlers. Furthermore, they have booked 562 cases of drug consumption, resulting in the arrest of 671 individuals.

The scale of the seizure for the year reflects the magnitude of the problem being tackled: police have seized 320.6 kg of ganja worth ₹88.7 lakh and 1.4 kg of MDMA valued at ₹1.2 crore. Other significant seizures include hydro-weed ganja worth ₹94.7 lakh and cocaine worth ₹1.9 lakh, among others.

The Commissioner emphasized a policy of rigorous enforcement: "We ensure that peddlers are caught red-handed so that they cannot later dispute the case or claim innocence."

To counter the rising trend of substance abuse among youth, the Mangaluru City police have rolled out uniform guidelines for random drug testing across educational institutions.

As part of the drive, tests were conducted in approximately 100 institutions, screening an estimated 5,500 to 6,000 students in the first phase. 20 students tested positive for drug consumption during the initial screening.

Students who tested positive have been provided counselling and are scheduled for re-testing in the second quarter. The testing will also be expanded to students not covered in the first phase. In a move to ensure strict implementation, police personnel were deployed in mufti in some institutions. Reiterating a zero-tolerance stance, the Commissioner confirmed that random testing will continue, and colleges have also been instructed to conduct drug tests at the time of admission to deter substance abuse from an early stage.

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News Network
December 5,2025

Mangaluru: In a significant step to curb online hate and intimidation, Mangaluru City Police have registered a suo motu case against multiple Instagram accounts accused of circulating alleged provocative and threatening content.

While monitoring social media activity on Tuesday, Kankanady Town PSI Anitha Nikkam identified the Instagram handle ‘team_targetttt_900’ for posting a hate message alongside images of lethal weapons. Another account, ‘team_nagara_900’, allegedly shared a threatening post targeting activist Bharath Kumdelu, tagging additional pages such as KARAVALI-OFFICIAL.

Several other accounts — including ‘immu_bhai.fan’, ‘target_boy_900’, ‘kings_of_manglore’, ‘team_target_boys.900’, ‘arshad_mangalore’, ‘target_ka19_ullal’, ‘team_target__’, ‘troll_tigersz_900’, ‘tr_group_900’, and ‘team_target_900’ — are also under scrutiny for spreading similar inflammatory material, police said.

Authorities have urged citizens, especially young social media users, to report suspicious pages and avoid engaging with groups that glorify violence or threaten individuals. Online hate can quickly escalate into real-world harm, and police stress that sharing or promoting such content can attract legal consequences.

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