Detained for mistaken identity at Abu Dhabi airport, G Noida man finally returns to India

Having the same name and date of birth as a noted criminal in Abu Dhabi led to much harassment for Praveen Kumar, a Greater Noida-based businessman, who was kept in custody for nearly four days in the United Arab Emirates

Having the same name and date of birth as a noted criminal in Abu Dhabi led to much harassment for Praveen Kumar, a Greater Noida-based businessman, who was kept in custody for nearly four days in the United Arab Emirates.

Detained for mistaken identity at Abu Dhabi airport, G Noida man finally returns to India

Detained in Abu Dhabi in a peculiar case of mistaken identity, Kumar returned home to Greater Noida on Saturday night. He was travelling to Switzerland with his wife on October 11 and was about to take a connecting flight in Abu Dhabi when he was detained.

Back home to a grand welcome by his relatives and friends, Kumar told HT about the entire ordeal he had to face for nearly four days, trying to explain his identity. He said his harassment depicts the inefficiency of intelligence services in some countries.

Kumar and his wife left India around 9pm on October 11 and landed in Abu Dhabi around 11.20pm. Their connecting flight to Switzerland was at 3.15am.

“Soon after we landed, two criminal investigation department officials (CID) from the UAE approached me. They showed me someone’s photo and asked if it was me. I told them that it was not my photo. They, then, asked me my name, date of birth, details of my passport and other things. They seemed unconvinced and also did a retina test. They questioned me for about two hours,” said Kumar.

Kumar added that when he was about to check in for his Switzerland flight, his boarding pass and passport became invalid. He was asked to wait again while his wife checked in. “Five people, including the CID officials came and started questioning me again as if I was a criminal who had committed fraud. They took me in custody and did not even let me talk to my wife,” he said.

Meanwhile, one of the CID officials informed that he should ask his wife to go back to India, because if she stayed in Abu Dhabi beyond 24 hours without a visa, she may be arrested for illegal immigration.

Kumar requested one of the officials for one phone call and after multiple requests; he could contact the sponsor of his trip. He explained the situation and asked him to arrange his wife’s return.

In the morning of October 12, Kumar was taken from his holding cell to a lock-up where he was kept with about 50 criminals.

“They had nothing concrete to prove that I’m a criminal, but they locked me up and gave me prison food that was non-vegetarian, while I’m a vegetarian. So I just consumed water, tea and an apple for the rest of my stay in Abu Dhabi. I did not eat almost anything for the next three days,” Kumar said.

On October 13, Kumar was handcuffed and taken to Ras Al-Khaimah, about 300 kilometeres from Abu Dhabi, to be produced before a magistrate. During the transfer, his belongings were handed over to him except his cell phone and passport. He requested for one more call and informed his brother to inform the authorities about his ordeal and seek help in India.

“By this time, I realised they may keep me for days unless the government in India intervened,” Kumar said.

Kumar was taken to the magistrate’s office on October 14, where he was addressed as Praveen Kumar but all other details were wrongly mentioned.

“By now I knew that the officials were mistaking me for another criminal in Abu Dhabi who had my name and same date of birth, but all other details were different and he probably hailed from Kerala. I explained to the judge that my passport details were completely different and it was issued only in December 2016. They asked if I had committed financial fraud, but I said that I had come to Abu Dhabi for the first time in my life. They kept insisting that I should show my older passport,” he said.

A translator asked for other details such as the names of his parents and his line of work in India as well as his company’s name. He was asked to wait outside while the team of officials spoke among themselves.

Kumar was taken to another detention room and around 9pm, he was released and asked to leave with his belongings. When he asked for his passport, the officials said that it was with the CID team in Abu Dhabi.

However, around 11pm the same night, the officials took him to the airport, got the paperwork done and handed him over to the Abu Dhabi police. After another day’s wait, he took a flight back to Delhi at 7.30pm on October 15.

“All this while, even after the confusion was cleared, I was kept in security and treated like a criminal. I was given non-vegetarian food despite knowing that I would not eat it. Only one of the CID officials later apologised for the mistake,” said Kumar.

Kumar said that while he was not informed about any intervention from the Indian government, he believes that the authorities would not have released him without pressure from the government and media in India.

“I am very thankful to the authorities here. I also hope that the Indian government takes some stern action so that innocent citizens are not harassed and treated like criminals without any proof,” Kumar added.