Iqama fraud: Driver in trouble for SR22,000 bills

[email protected] (Arab News)
July 20, 2014

Iqama fraud 20

Jeddah, Jul 20: An Indian expat is caught up in an unlikely legal tangle.

Shamsuddin Ansari has been banned from traveling after failing to pay phone bills for SIM cards that have been falsely registered under his name.

Ansari, who works as a driver in the Kingdom's central region, is running from pillar to post to clear his name and absolve himself from paying three outstanding phone bills issued by a leading telecom company worth more than SR22,000.

“I am oblivious to where these bills have come up from,” he told Arab News. “I received a phone call from a telecom executive in Riyadh, who warned me to pay up or else. There are three SIM cards under my name and ID,” he said. “I am a house driver and cannot afford three SIM cards in the first place.”

He added: “My iqama copy has been misused. There is a credit limit system in place and a driver such as myself would never be authorized to run up a bill beyond SR1,000. Why, then, has the telecom company kept quiet about such a staggering amount?”

He explained: “I have approached the telecom company to no avail. I have also filed a complaint with the police and have knocked on the doors of the governor's office to help me cancel the subscription and clear my name. I know an Indian tailor with a SR700 outstanding bill who has also been banned from travel.”

Such incidents are on the increase in the Kingdom.

Police in Jeddah recently arrested nearly 20 Arab and Asian suspects in connection with the issuance of 15,884 SIM cards over the past seven months, according to statistics.

In a welcome development, the Communications and Information Technology Commission (CITC) has introduced a system that enables residents to check whether there are any extra SIM cards registered under their name without their consent.

STC subscribers can send an SMS message containing the number 9988 to the number 902, while Mobily subscribers can send a blank SMS message to 616166 and Zain subscribers can send a blank SMS message to 700123.

These services, however, only enable subscribers to check for extra SIM cards with the telecom company with which they are registered and not others. Users who want to check for SIM cards under other networks will be obliged to visit their sales offices.

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News Network
December 15,2025

Udupi, Dec 15: What was meant to be a post-pilgrimage gathering turned tragic in Padukere village of Brahmavar taluk, Udupi district, late Sunday night, when a clash among youths escalated into a fatal assault, leaving one man dead.

The victim has been identified as 30-year-old Santosh Mogaveera, a resident of Padukere.

According to preliminary information, the incident took place during a late-night drinking party involving a group of local youths who had recently returned after completing their pilgrimage to the Sabarimala shrine. An argument reportedly broke out among the group and soon escalated into a violent confrontation.

During the ensuing brawl, Santosh Mogaveera was allegedly assaulted and collapsed at the spot after sustaining serious injuries. He was rushed by local residents to a private hospital in Brahmavar, where doctors declared him dead.

On receiving information, senior police officials, including Brahmavar Circle Inspector Gopikrishna, Kota Police Sub-Inspector Praveen Kumar T, Station ASI Manthesh Jabagoudar, and head constables Pradeep and Ashok, visited the spot and conducted an inspection.

Police have taken four youths into custody in connection with the incident. A case has been registered at the Kota police station, and further investigation is underway to ascertain the exact sequence of events leading to the death.

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News Network
December 15,2025

Mangaluru police have arrested a 27-year-old NRI on his return from Saudi Arabia in connection with an Instagram post allegedly containing derogatory and provocative remarks about the Hindu religion, officials said on Monday.

The accused, Abdul Khader Nehad, a resident of Ulaibettu in Mangaluru, was working in Saudi Arabia when the post was uploaded, police said.

A suo motu case was registered at the Bajpe police station on October 11 after an allegedly offensive post circulated from the Instagram account ‘team_sdpi_2025’. Police said the content was flagged for being provocative and derogatory in nature.

During the investigation, technical analysis traced the Instagram post to Nehad, who was residing abroad at the time, a senior police officer said. Based on these findings, a Look Out Circular (LOC) was issued against him.

On December 14, Nehad arrived from Saudi Arabia at Calicut International Airport in Kerala, where he was taken into custody on arrival. Police said further investigation is underway.

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News Network
December 20,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 20: The Mangaluru City Police have issued a detailed traffic advisory ahead of the inaugural ceremony of Karavali Utsava, which will be held at the Karavali Utsava Ground on Saturday.

The festival will be inaugurated at 6:00 pm by Dakshina Kannada District Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao. Cultural and public programmes will be held at the venue every evening and will continue until January 2.

According to City Police Commissioner Sudheer Kumar Reddy, parking of vehicles is strictly prohibited on both sides of the road from Lalbagh to Karavali Utsava Ground. Visitors are requested to park their vehicles only at designated parking areas.

To help the public, traffic signboards and parking guidance flex boards have been installed along the routes leading to the venue. The police have urged commuters and visitors to follow these instructions to ensure smooth traffic movement.

Designated Parking Locations

•    Urwa Market Ground – Cars
•    Gandhinagar Government School (near Press Club) – Two-wheelers and cars
•    Ladyhill Church parking area – Two-wheelers and cars
•    Canara School Ground, Mannagudda – Two-wheelers and cars
•    Thimmappa Hotel premises – Two-wheelers and cars
•    Scout and Guide Bhavana premises (behind Karavali Utsava Grounds) – Two-wheelers
•    Urwa Market Road – Two-wheelers
•    Hat Hill Road – Two-wheelers

The police have appealed to the public to cooperate by following traffic rules and parking guidelines to avoid inconvenience during the festival.

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