Terminally ill illegal Indian expatriate in Dubai flown home
Indian Consulate provides ticket, intervenes to waive fines and hospital bills
Dubai: An Indian expatriate who was critically ill and had been living illegally in the UAE with huge debts was flown to India on Wednesday night to be reunited with his wife and three children in Hyderabad, thanks to an initiative by the Indian consulate.
According to sources at Thumbay Hospital, Ajman where he was admitted, William Temple Nelapati, 54, was diagnosed with lung cancer which metasised to his bones, his spine and many other organs of the body leaving him with slim chances of survival.
Indian Consul General Vipul told Gulf News: “We are happy we were able to help Nelapati reunite with his family. We provided the air tickets and an outpass to the patient and worked with several volunteers to waive off various outstanding bills that the patient had.”
Emirates Islamic Bank waived off a Dh98,000 bounced rent cheque amount, the immigration [department] waived off his fines, Thumbay Hospital waived off the hospital bill of Dh30,000.
Kasturi Deepika who liaised with courts, police and immigration authorities and the Nelapati family, told Gulf News: “Several people helped in this. The Emirates Islamic Bank waived off a Dh98,000 bounced rent cheque amount, the immigration [department] waived off his fines, the Thumbay Hospital waived off the hospital bill of Dh30,000,” she said.
Indian NRI cell member Chandra Prakash told Gulf News: “The family of William Temple Nelapati appealed for help. Nelapati who had come to UAE in 2006 initially worked in a government agency as the head of IT, he then worked in a private firm and subsequently started his own business which failed. As the losses mounted, and cheques bounced, Nelapati began staying with friends and eventually his visa expired in 2016. He was not keeping well and last month he was admitted to Thumbay Hospital for a femur fracture. Further diagnosis indicated that he had lung cancer which had spread to his bones. Since then Nelapati never left the hospital bed.”
Deepika added: “The patient is unable to walk as his spine is affected with cancer. Hence he had to be taken on a stretcher aboard the Indian career Air India Express.”
Nelapati’s son Richie Nelapati who had flown down to UAE to help out his father, declined to comment.