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

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.

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

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great work IFF MAY ALLAH BLESS UR WORK

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.

great relief for family. Good work by IFF.

Good work by IFF team .

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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

Alhamdulilla

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

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...

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.

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

Well done IFF

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

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

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.

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

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.

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

Masha Allah

Great Work done by IFF.

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...!!

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

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

Great Work IFF and Team! Keep it up!!

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

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

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Flight cancellations strand passengers overnight at Mangaluru Airport

News Network

December 4,2025

Mangaluru: Chaos erupted at Mangaluru International Airport (MIA) after IndiGo flight 6E 5150, bound for Mumbai, was repeatedly delayed and ultimately cancelled, leaving around 100 passengers stranded overnight. The incident highlights the ongoing country-wide operational disruptions affecting the airline, largely due to the implementation of new Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) norms for crew.

The flight was initially scheduled for 9:25 PM on Tuesday but was first postponed to 11:40 PM, then midnight, before being cancelled around 3:00 AM. Passengers expressed frustration over last-minute communication and the lack of clarity, with elderly and ailing travellers particularly affected. “Though the airline arranged food, there was no proper communication, leaving us confused,” said one family member.

An IndiGo executive at MIA cited the FDTL rules, designed to prevent pilot fatigue by limiting crew working hours, as the cause of the cancellation. While alternative arrangements, including hotel stays, were offered, about 100 passengers chose to remain at the airport, creating tension. A replacement flight was arranged but also faced delays due to the same constraints, finally departing for Mumbai around 1:45 PM on Wednesday. Passengers either flew, requested refunds, or postponed their travel.

The Mangaluru delay is part of a broader crisis for IndiGo. The airline has been forced to make “calibrated schedule adjustments”—a euphemism for widespread cancellations and delays—after stricter FDTL norms came into effect on November 1.

While an IndiGo spokesperson acknowledged unavoidable flight disruptions due to technology issues, operational requirements, and the updated crew rostering rules, the DGCA has intervened, summoning senior airline officials to explain the chaos and outline corrective measures.

The ripple effect has been felt across the country, with major hubs like Bengaluru and Mumbai reporting numerous cancellations. The Mangaluru incident underscores the systemic operational strain currently confronting India’s largest carrier, leaving passengers nationwide grappling with uncertainty and delays.

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