G Noida man detained at Abu Dhabi airport over ‘mistaken identity’, says family

Noida: A leisure trip to Switzerland turned sour for a couple from Greater Noida after the husband was detained at the Abu Dhabi airport as his face matched with a ‘wanted criminal’ in a face recognition software on October 11

Noida: A leisure trip to Switzerland turned sour for a couple from Greater Noida after the husband was detained at the Abu Dhabi airport as his face matched with a ‘wanted criminal’ in a face recognition software on October 11. The couple was to board a connecting flight from Abu Dhabi to Switzerland, when the incident took place. The man’s wife, who was forced to return to India the next day, has been inconsolable ever since, worried for her husband stuck in a foreign land.

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The 45-year-old man, identified as Praveen Kumar, is a resident of Habibpur village in Greater Noida and works as a contractor for a cement company. “The company had offered the couple a trip to Switzerland, which was organised by a travel agency. They could not find a direct flight to Switzerland and boarded a flight to Abu Dhabi from Delhi after which they were supposed to take a flight to their destination. They had left on October 11 for the week-long trip,” said Atul Sharma, a relative of Kumar.

According to Usha, the man’s wife, they were stopped at Abu Dhabi airport by the immigration authorities. “They took our passports and visas. We thought it was a routine procedure but later we were taken to a separate room by the airport officers. They told my husband that he will be detained as his face matches that of a criminal wanted by Abu Dhabi police,” she said.

“I was then taken away from my husband and after waiting for another hour, I was told that I am being deported back to Delhi. When I asked them about my husband, the officers told me that they need to investigate him and hence he will not be coming with me. I felt absolutely helpless as I could not even contact or speak to my husband and had to return back to Delhi,” Usha said.

“Usha called up the family members and we have been running pillar to post to inform authorities about this case of mistaken identity and to help us. We have not been able to talk to Kumar,” said Sharma.

On Thursday, the family went to the district magistrate’s office to seek help in the matter. DM Suhas LY informed that he has written to the ministry of external affairs, the Indian embassy in Abu Dhabi and the home ministry of the Uttar Pradesh government to look into the matter.

“I have also asked the local police in Greater Noida to carry out a background check of Kumar,” said Suhas.

“My husband has never visited Abu Dhabi or any other Gulf countries. It is a clear case of a mistaken identity due to which our whole family is being harassed. I have no idea how my husband is being kept by the authorities and how his condition is in a foreign land,” said 40-year-old Usha.

The family members have also been frantically tweeting their ordeal to external affairs minister S Jaishankar and other senior officials of the ministry to seek assistance in the matter.

“It was supposed to be a short trip which has turned out to be a nightmare for us. We hope to hear some good news soon,” said Sharma.