Missing man found in Saudi hospital

Abu Dhabi: An Abu Dhabi-based Indian man, who went missing on December 8, was found at a hospital in Al Ahsa in Saudi Arabia on Sunday, according to his family members.

Haris Poomadath, 28, a native of the south Indian state of Kerala, was hospitalised by the Saudi authorities that had arrested and jailed him for entering the country without documents, said Rashid Poomadath, his cousin.

“It is not clear how he crossed the UAE-Saudi border and reached Al Ahsa. He was hospitalised by jail authorities after he fell ill,” Poomadah said.

An Indian nurse at the hospital took contact number from Haris and called up his home in India on Sunday morning, he said.

As Gulf News reported on December 17, Haris was upset when he went missing as he had to cancel his planned vacation during December first week due to certain official reasons at his workplace. He was working as a driver with a hotel in the capital.

The family members had a sigh of relief when Haris was found, said Siraj Poomadath, his nephew.

“The Saudi authorities allowed him to speak to his mother on phone. She was very happy to hear his voice after almost a month of uncertainty about her son’s fate,” Siraj said.

He said some relatives in Saudi Arabia also visited Haris at the hospital.

The family members said they reported the matter to the UAE authorities and the Indian Embassy in Abu Dhabi, with whom they had filed complaints about the missing incident. “We have sought their assistance to get him released and send him back to India,” Poomadath said.

An official at the Indian embassy in Abu Dhabi said the matter has been forwarded to the Indian Embassy in Riyadh for further action.