Indian Umrah pilgrim jailed due to identity mismatch in Saudi Arabia

A spiritual journey to Islam’s Holy Land turned sour for an Indian family after one of the family members was detained at Jeddah’s King Abdulaziz International Airport as his name and particulars matched with a ‘wanted criminal’ and case dating back some 25 years.

The passenger had never travelled to Saudi Arabia or any other country in his life and this was his maiden trip that landed him in trouble, according to the family.

The 57-year-old, identified as Mohammed Ghouse, a



resident of Jayanagar in Bengaluru, was working as a Road Transport Commission agent in the city. He along with eight of his relatives arrived in Saudi Arabia to perform Umrah on Monday.

According to Mohammed Mutabbir, the nephew of Ghouse, he was stopped upon arrival at the airport in Jeddah by passport authorities. “They took his passport. We thought it was a routine procedure but later he was taken to a separate room. We were told that he was being detained as his data matches that of a criminal wanted by police,” he said.