Mangaluru youth, jailed in Saudi Arabia for carrying tablets, walks free

February 9, 2017

Mangaluru, Feb 9: A 35-year-old man from Ullal in Mangaluru taluk, who had landed in a jail in Saudi Arabia after being detained at Dammam international airport for carrying a six-month stash of his epilepsy medicines without a doctor's prescription four months ago, has finally walked free.

Siyabuddin Fayaz Ullal, who was released on February 6, thanked all those who toiled for his release including the activists of Indian Social Forum (ISF).

On October 3, Siyabuddin boarded a flight from Mangaluru to Dammam. From there, he was to head for Riyadh, where he had worked for several years. This time, however, he was going to Riyadh after a break. He had come to Mangaluru to get married and had stayed on for over a year.

Siyabuddin was carrying with him his medicines for epilepsy, a condition he had suffered from for about 16 years. The tablets – Zeptol CR (Carbamazepine) 1200 mg and Cloba (Lobazam) 10mg – were enough to last him six months (they came cheaper in India).

But unlike his many other trips to Riyadh from India, at Dammam he was detained for carrying the medicines without a doctor's prescription. He was charged with smuggling.

His family had then approached U T Khader, the minister for Food and Civil Supplies, who in turn got in touch with Arathi Krishna, the deputy chairman of the NRI Forum in the state government. Ms Krishna had then sent the details of the case to the embassy officials.

Meanwhile, a relative of Siyabuddin had gone to Riyadh and submitted the requisite documents, mainly the doctor's prescription, which stated that he suffered from complex partial seizures and was carrying six months' worth of medicines from India.

Comments

Very Good job ISF. Keep it up.

It's ma uncl he dint board d flight on 3rd it was on 31st oct he left India

Great job done Indian Social forum, heard from the day one about this case. Social forum team members did a fantastic job. Highly riskier issue very nicely handled with almighty allahs blessings.

Congrats Indian Social Forum (ISF), they worked quickly behind this work, great! keep going..

Grt Job ISF., keep going.

masha allah isf member work hard on this case..sply noushad katipalla....

MASHAALLAH good work by ISF keep going with your great work, MAY ALLAH accept your noble work and may ALLAH bless you and give you good strength to serve the humanity.

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Elusive bamboo shrimp resurfaces in Mangaluru estuary after 70 years

News Network

December 7,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 7: A rare bamboo shrimp has been rediscovered on mainland India more than 70 years after it was last reported, confirming for the first time the presence of Atyopsis spinipes in the country. The find was made by researchers from the Centre for Climate Change Studies at Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai, during surveys in Karnataka and Odisha.

The team — shrimp expert Dr S Prakash, PhD scholar K Kunjulakshmi, and Mangaluru-based researcher Maclean Antony Santos — combined field surveys, ecological assessments and DNA analysis to identify the elusive species. Their findings, published in Zootaxa, resolve decades of taxonomic confusion stemming from a 1951 report that misidentified the species as Atyopsis moluccensis without strong evidence.

The shrimp has now been confirmed at two locations: the Mulki–Pavanje estuary near Mangaluru and the Kuakhai River in Bhubaneswar. Historical specimens from the Andaman Islands, previously labelled as A. moluccensis, were also found to be misidentified and actually belong to A. spinipes.

The rediscovery began after an aquarium hobbyist in Odisha spotted a shrimp in 2022, prompting systematic surveys across Udupi, Karwar and Mangaluru. Four female specimens were collected in Mulki and one in Odisha, all genetically matching.

Researchers warn the species may exist in very small, vulnerable populations as freshwater habitats face increasing pressure from pollution, sand mining and infrastructure development. All verified specimens have been deposited with the Zoological Survey of India for future reference.

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