Telangana NRI jailed, legally troubled in Saudi for stealing Orange

Boorla Prabhakar went to appeal in the high court that ordered a re-trial of the case while releasing Prabhakar after 14 days of imprisonment and also withheld the fine amount.

Jeddah: Boorla Prabhakar had never imagined that picking oranges in a market and eating them would land him behind bars and prevent his journey back home.

A native of Siddipet district, working as a cleaner in Khamis Mushait town of Saudi Arabia, allegedly stole an orange from a shopping cart and ate it. The vendor however, noticed this from a distance and reported it to the police. Subsequently Prabhakar was arrested and imprisoned for a month besides a fine of 1000 Riyals.

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He went to appeal in the high court that ordered a re-trial of the case while releasing Prabhakar after 14 days of imprisonment and also withheld the fine amount. However, Prabhakar failed to appear in the court in confusion of the Hijri calendar and later appeared but failed to narrate his version. This occurred on January 31, 2020 and since then he was working as a cleaner without any hurdles.

However, he was terminated along with many other employees recently by the company following the closure of the division he was employed with. While repatriating him back home, the company was not able to make his Qurooj (cancellation of visa) as there was a travel ban due to the pending case of the orange theft.

The poor labourer has been running from pillar to post to complete the remaining 16 days of the prison term and also to pay a fine in bid to cancel the visa and return home.

“I went to prison to take me back to complete the remaining days and was ready to pay fine but that did not work,” he said.

“Out of hunger I took four oranges. When the vendor came, I said I would pay but still he called in the police”, he added.

His Iqama will be expiring shortly which can complicate further his dream of returning home.