BHATKAL(UTTARA KANNADA): A 28-year-old resident of Belni village in Bhatkal in Uttara Kannada district is appealing for help from the Indian government after he got entangled in a legal battle after he met with an accident at Tayma village, 830 km from Jeddah city in Saudi Arabia
Mohammed Khalid came to Saudi Arabia in 2016 to work as a driver. After working for two years for a businessman, he met with an accident as the vehicle he was driving collided with another vehicle coming from the opposite direction. The drivers of both the cars suffered minor injuries and the matter reached the court after the driver of the other vehicle Mohammed Salama Hamad Al Anzi, a Saudi national, lodged a complaint.
A Saudi court, which heard the matter, has imposed a hefty fine of 34,500 riyals (approximately Rs 7 lakh ). “The court order and his inability to pay up has left him jobless in Saudi, where he is left to fend for himself,” said Shayista, Khalid’s aunt. Speaking to TNIE, Khalid said that he now does small jobs to make a living. “I requested the complainant to withdraw the case but he has been refusing,” he said.
Khalid went to Saudi Arabia eight years ago. “The accident happened five years ago when Khalid was travelling with his sponsor. Although the injuries were minor, Khalid was fined by the court,” said Taslima Bhanu, his mother. According to her, Khalid’s father is mute and his brother is now a college dropout. “He is now working to feed the family here,” she said. After the accident, he is no longer employed by his sponsor.