Mohammad Zafar and Mohammad Rahib, two Indian nationals, were apprehended by Saudi police in Dammam in March after attempting to send money to Iran, reported NDTV. Their present whereabouts are unclear. They are natives of Naugawan in Uttar Pradesh’s Amroha. Zafar went to work at a store in Dammam 5 years ago.
Afterwards, he also found a job for his brother in the Gulf nation. Meanwhile, a war broke out between Israel, United Stated and Iran in late February. Their mother asked Zafar to transfer some funds to her account to support the Islamic regime. The latter promised that he would deposit the amount into the Indian bank account of the Iranian Embassy and used his younger brother’s phone to send 200 riyals.
Hence, Rahib was captured by Saudi security officers on 27th March from his house as the transaction was made via his device. Zafar was also nabbed on 30th March, and the family has not heard anything about them since the development.
They charged that their sons were arrested because they transmitted funds from Saudi Arabia which shares a very hostile history with Iran. However, they have not been informed of the reasons behind the action. On the other hand, the family was notified that the two were being held due to a security issue. The email was sent by Sumit Kumar of the Indian Embassy’s Community Welfare Wing in Riyadh.
“Per available information, Mohammad Rahib Hasan and Mohammad Zafar Hasan have been detained in a security-related matter. The embassy has contacted the Saudi Foreign Ministry to get further information about the matter. More details are awaited,” the communication read.
Their father, Hassan Abbas, has also made a video appeal to External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar for assistance. “Both my children are missing in Saudi Arabia. I am a believer. All my expenses were borne by my children. I appeal to you to find out about my children,” he stated.
Rajnath Singh, the minister of defence, recently met with the All-India Shia Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) and its general secretary, Maulana Yasoob Abbas also brought up the matter with him. He claimed that Mohammed Shabi, another Indian man, was apprehended at the airport in Dubai. He also requested Dr Jaishankar to provide aid to the imprisoned Shia Indians in the Middle East.
