Tag Archives: horse-racing
Mistaken identity issue haunts Indian expat
Mistaken identity issue haunts Indian expat Allan Jacob and Amira Agarib / 21 June 2013 His voice is unsteady as he narrates his arrest and the ordeal that followed in a mistaken identity case. George Thomas’s only “crime” was that he had the same name of a suspect on the run in a bounced cheque case. Today, he’s a shattered man, struggling to rebuild his life, reputation and business after the traumatic experience. The incident has left him scarred and he’s undergoing psychiatric treatment at a hospital in Dubai. But, after getting a clear chit in the case early this month, he’s still asking why the charge was foisted on him when the facts were as clear as day on the day of his arrest at Sharjah airport in 2011. Answers are not forthcoming from the police or the legal affairs department, who appear to have closed the file stating that an “amicable solution” has not been reached. Frustrated with their lack of response, Thomas is considering going to court again seeking compensation. ‘’I don’t know where to start now, it’s all a whirl, my mind is spinning. Friends deserted me for something I didn’t do. In their eyes, I had become a criminal,’’ says Thomas, an Indian expat, who runs a business in Sharjah. He places neat red files on the table and points to a section which has his passport copy and that of the alleged perpetrator. The victim and violator on the same page. “Do I look like him?” he asks. “It was clear from the start that I was not the man they were looking for. Yet, I was imprisoned and mocked in front of the world and later cast aside like my life didn’t matter, he says, his anger rising. “I’ve lived in the UAE for 15 years and I don’t deserve this.” Thomas’s troubles began on December 18, 2011, after he was arrested at Sharjah airport on his way to India. The case dates to 2006, when a bank filed a petition with the Bur Dubai police station against their customer George Thomas Thomas, aged 54, after a cheque issued by him had bounced. The file moved to the Dubal Public Prosecution and the department issued an order against George Thomas P. V. Thomas, aged 46 (the wrong man) on September 26, 2010, according to records. He was tried in absentia and sentenced to five months in prison by the Dubai Court of First Instance. Summons were issued on February 2, 2011, and an arrest warrant was issued on February 7, 2011. Thomas was picked up from the airport and separated from his wife and kids. He was lodged in Dubai’s Al Aweer jail, where he was interrogated. He says he had nothing to confess, and three days later, he was released after he handed over his passport. “I could not go anywhere and my business was hit as losses mounted. My family suffered in silence, my mental balance was affected and I checked into a hospital for psychiatric treatment,” he says. Through all this trauma, he also had to attend hearings at the Court Of Appeal. “I was confident I would win the case, and I did after a long trial spanning 10 sessions.’’ The appeals court overturned the verdict and ruled in his favour on May 7, 2012. George Thomas P. V. Thomas was not a criminal after all. He was free to go. “It was right in front of their eyes when they first arrested me; only they didn’t see it.” Since then, he’s been seeking answers from the Dubai Police. “Why me?” he often asks during our conversation, staring into the distance. “They never took notice when I protested and pleaded my innocence two years ago. Now, they don’t bother,’’ he says. He sought an explanation from the Dubai Police Headquarters, but they referred the matter to the Legal Affairs Department who, on June 6 this year, issued a certificate stating that the disputed parties had “failed to reach an amicable settlement”. It’s a statement that is as befuddling as his arrest and incarceration on trumped up charges. Thomas, meanwhile, has sent a letter through the Indian consulate to the office of His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Makhtoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE, and Ruler of Dubai. “Shaikh Mohammed’s quest for excellence is something I admire. I only hope the criminal justice system seeks excellence and not send more innocents like me to jail. They’ll only ruin lives of honest people.’’ Legal view According to Dr Jamal Al Sumaithi, Director-General of the Dubai Judicial Institute, any person who has been unfairly subjected to harm and his/her rights have been violated, can lodge a complaint against the government department concerned. “They should approach the legal department of the Dubai Government which will help the two parties reach a solution. If they fail to do so, the affected party may approach the Dubai Civil Court.” — allan@khaleejtimes.com Continue reading
Peshawar mosque blast kills 15
Peshawar mosque blast kills 15 (AFP) / 21 June 2013 A suicide attack on Friday killed 15 people and wounded more than 25 others at a mosque and religious seminary on the edge of Peshawar, officials said. The bomber struck in the largely Shia area of Gulshan Colony on the outskirts of the city, which abuts Taleban and Al Qaeda-linked strongholds in the northwestern tribal belt on the Afghan border. The attack came just days after US officials said they hoped to open peace talks with Afghan Taleban in Doha, capital of the Gulf state of Qatar. “It was a suicide attack in which 15 people were killed and more than 25 others were wounded,” senior police official Shafi Ullah said at the scene. “The suicide bomber, who was on foot, first opened fire at police guards who were deployed outside the mosque, then entered the prayer hall where he blew himself up amid worshippers just before the start of prayers,” he added. The force of the blast punched holes in the walls and roof of the prayer hall, the floor of which was littered with bloodied pieces of human flesh, dead bodies, Islamic books and prayer caps, an eyewitness said. Prayer leader Aamir Shakiri said he was just about to join the worshippers when he heard gun shots, followed by a “deafening blast”. “Thick mosque engulfed the entire mosque and it was difficult to see anything but I was able to see dead bodies and injured people shouting for help,” he said. Police official Imran Shahid said that at least three suicide bombers had originally intended to carry out the attack. “Two of them fled while one of their accomplices managed to enter the prayer hall and blow himself up,” he said. There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but sectarian attacks in Pakistan are on the rise. Ali Iqbal Qazilbash, a 24-year-old Peshawar University student, said he rushed out of his uncle’s home when he heard the explosion. “It was really horrifying to see blood-soaked and mutilated bodies lying on the floor of the hall,” Qazilbash said. “I immediately started knocking on doors in the neighbourhood and calling people for help.” In the country’s business capital of Karachi, gunmen shot dead a provincial lawmaker, his son and a passer-by outside a mosque. Sajid Qureshi, in his early 50s, and his 25-year-old son were targeted after Friday prayers in the congested Nazimabad neighbourhood. Qureshi was a member of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), the most powerful political party in Karachi now considering whether to join the government in Sindh province. “He died on the spot, while his son and the third victim died at hospital,” police official Amir Farooqi said. Karachi, a city of 18 million people, contributes 42 per cent of Pakistan’s GDP but is rife with murder and kidnappings and has been plagued for years by ethnic, sectarian and political violence. Officials also said two members of a pro-government militia were killed when militants armed with guns and rockets attacked their homes in the northwestern tribal district of Bajaur on the Afghan border. To tribal policemen were also injured, administration official Abdul Haseeb said. Writing in English-language newspaper The News on Friday, analyst Ayaz Amir reflected on the repercussions for Pakistan of prospective peace talks between the Afghan Taleban and the United States. He said talks would make it almost impossible for Pakistan to open a new military front against domestic insurgents in the northwest. He said the “significance of the Taleban gaining, at long last, virtual American diplomatic recognition” would be a triumph for Afghan Taleban leader Mullah Omar but a “problem” for Pakistan. “Because Mullah Omar’s resurgent emirate, waiting patiently for the Americans to depart, now extends, like a dagger, into Pakistan — in the form of (Pakistani Taleban leader) Hakimullah (Mehsud)’s Waziristan.” Continue reading
Mom, children reunited after 32 years
Mom, children reunited after 32 years Amira Agarib / 21 June 2013 There were moist eyes all around at Al Ghusais police station on Wednesday when a mother and two of her separated children cried, kissed and rushed into each other’s arms after 32 years. “I waited so long for this and I thought this day would never come,’’ the 55-year old woman said, holding her now grown-up children and showering them with kisses. The woman told her children that she never stopped searching for them even for a minute all these years. ‘‘Sorrow engulfed me all these years and I cannot hold back my emotions and feel like crying my heart out,’’ said the daughter, who is now 36 years old. Their father, a GCC national who passed away two years ago, had been living in Dubai after divorcing the mother. He separated the children from their mom in 1981 and gave them to different families and none of the siblings knew the wherabouts of each other until two year ago. The son was three years old when he was given to a family in the UAE; the older daughter was four and lived with her father’s relatives in Oman, while the third child, who was only one, has not been traced yet. The Dubai Police believe she may be living in one of the Gulf countries. First Corporal Reem Mohammed Al Amiri helped the 35-year-old son and his sister in their quest to find their mother. The daughter, who is now married and has been staying in Oman, often asked her father about the rest of her family, but he refused to provide details and later stopped talking to her, she said. After her father died in 2011, she spoke to her relatives and visited the UAE every month to trace her family. During her search, she received information that her brother lived in the UAE. The brother and sister together searched for their mother and managed to get photographs of her from old files and albums of friends and relatives. First Corporal Reem said when they narrated their story with the photograph, it broke her heart. Last weekend, she stumbled upon a match which fit the description of the mother and called her. ‘‘She was first scared, but calmed down when I told her she could receive some joyous news.’’ The mother has since been married to an Asian and has nine children, the oldest being 30 years old. ‘‘I asked her about her former marriage and she said her former husband had run away with the kids. “When I told her she may get to see them soon, she screamed and held me in a tight embrace and cried.’’ Reem then asked the daughter and son to come to the police station. The rest is a scene out of a lost and found movie. ‘‘I can’t express the joy they felt. I’m glad I could help reunite a family,’’ she said. news@khaleejtimes.com Continue reading
