Jailed for chewing tobacco in Oman, Nallasopara man to return home

Akrar Khan, a 32-year-old mechanic from Nallasopara, who went missing under mysterious circumstances in Oman in December 2016, is serving time in a prison there after he was caught chewing tobacco by the local police, his family members back home have been informed.
Khan will be released from prison on March 23, and will then be deported to India.
As reported by DNA on February 15, Khan's family was left in a state of shock after they received a call from a 'Pakistani' national on January 25, informing them that Khan 'is in jail'. The call has prompted the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) to launch an investigation into the matter, while the family sought help from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).
Khan, a resident of Maharaja Co-operative Housing society at Samel Pada in Nallasopara (W) got married in May 2014, and after two months, he left for Muscat in Oman and had been working there in a private company.
According to Khan's family, at



12.36 am on December 20, while chatting with his sister Hazra Siddiqui, 26, also a Nallasopara resident, Khan had informed her through WhatsApp that he would be heading out to visit a bank. The family had not heard from him since.
"We contacted the Indian embassy in Oman and we were informed that he has been lodged in prison for chewing tobacco which is a banned product there," said Suresh Yamgar, assistant Police Inspector of the ATS' Palghar unit.
Then, on Wednesday, Khan's family received a call from the Oman police. Hazara Siddiqui, Khan's sister said, "We got a call from the police in Oman, and they have informed us that my brother was caught chewing tobacco, and so has been punished by the authorities over there. adding that, "He has definitely not joined nor is part of any terror outfit, which was the suspicion after he went missing. The authorities have assured us that he will be released on March 23 after competing his sentence of three months."