Saudi: Embassy warns Indians against dealing with illegal agents

Riyadh, Mar 4: Indian Embassy has warned its nationals against dealing with illegal agents and dodgy social workers.

“It has come to our notice that some self-styled social workers and illegal agents are engaged in instigating stranded workers stationed at embassy 's rented accommodation in Riyadh to make statements against the Saudi authorities,” said the embassy in a press statement issued on Monday.

The statement said that these unscrupulous elements were found to be recording the statements made by the workers and distributing the recordings in a negative context through social media and foreign NGOs with a view to malign the Kingdom.

The embassy called on such elements to refrain from instigating the workers and to avoid making statements aimed at destroying the goodwill enjoyed by more than 2.8 million Indians residing in the Kingdom.

“In recent weeks, the embassy has seen some media reports of concocted stories planted by illegal agents claiming to have arranged final exit for Indians including those stationed in the accommodation rented by the embassy,” said the press statement.

The Indian mission has received information that some agents approach the Saudi authorities claiming to be representatives of the embassy, it said, and warned the Indians against dealing with such illegal agents.

During the seven-month grace period, more than 1.4 million Indians corrected their legal status and more than 1,40,000 overstaying Indians left the country.

But despite the Kingdom-wide awareness campaign by the embassy, a few hundred Indians could not avail of the grace period due to various reasons. The embassy has been providing them accommodation, food, water and medical assistance since November 2013. Last November, there were over 400 Indians in the rented accommodation arranged in Batha by the embassy, but most of these overstaying illegal workers have by now left the Kingdom, said the press statement. The embassy issued air-tickets to deserving cases.

Currently, there are 82 Indian nationals at the rented accommodation arranged by the embassy in Riyadh. They have not been able to get their exit visa as they are mostly run away cases and did not avail of the concessions announced during the grace period. Some of them have legal cases pending against them.

The embassy has been regularly following up with the Saudi authorities at high levels to arrange their final exit to India. The embassy has also informed the authorities that it is ready to provide air tickets to all 82 Indian nationals currently in the rented accommodation to help their early return to India.

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Major facelift for Mangaluru's sporting heart: Mangala Stadium set for 2-month closure to upgrade synthetic track

News Network

December 15,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 15: Educational institutions in Mangaluru that rely on the popular Mangala Stadium for their annual sports events are bracing for an inconvenience as the city's key sporting venue is set to close its gates for a significant upgrade. The stadium is expected to be unavailable for approximately two months starting from January 15, 2026.

The closure is necessitated by a proposed overhaul of the stadium's facilities, with a special focus on upgrading the synthetic track. Pradeep Dsouza, Assistant Director of the District of Youth Empowerment and Sports (DYES), Dakshina Kannada, confirmed the development.

"Experts have visited the stadium, conducted a thorough inspection, and have given the go-ahead for a complete makeover," Dsouza stated. "Funds have been allocated for the project, and we are currently awaiting the final green signal from state officials to commence the work. We anticipate that the work will likely begin in the second week of January. Consequently, we have stopped renting out the stadium to colleges and other organizations in preparation for the upgrade."

The timing presents a logistical challenge for colleges, as many schools have already concluded their sports meets.

"Colleges will now be organizing their events and will need to find alternative locations to host their sports meets," Dsouza added. He suggested a few potential venues, including the Dakshina Kannada police ground, University College grounds, Panambur grounds, Swaraj Maidan in Moodbidri, and the Mangalore University sports grounds in Konaje.

However, many institutions note that finding a comparable venue will be difficult. While the DK police ground and University College grounds are closer to the city center, they do not possess the extensive facilities and infrastructure offered by Mangala Stadium.

Dr. P Dayananda Pai - P Satisha Govt First Grade College, Carstreet, is one such institution dependent on the stadium. Principal Jayakar Bhandary expressed hope for a swift completion of the work. "We expect the work to be completed at the earliest. If not, we will be forced to look for other venues to host the sports day for our students," Bhandary said, highlighting the pressing need for the city's main sporting facility.

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