“Believe me, I never ever thought I would walk out of jail”

IANS/Kochi

Keralite Shiju Thomas, who was held in a Abu Dhabi prison after drugs were found in his baggage, said he never thought he “would walk free” after being released on Thursday.

Thomas, 29, who hails from here, is ecstatic after being released from prison.

“Believe me, I never ever thought I would walk out of jail,” Thomas said over phone from Abu Dhabi. He was released from an Abu Dhabi jail around 4.30pm on Thursday.

“I thank all those who prayed for me and also a special thanks to (External Affairs Minister) Sushma Swaraj and (Kerala Chief Minister) Oommen Chandy, who made this possible,” said a grateful Thomas.

Thomas’s ordeal began after he came on an emergency leave to Kochi last month following his father’s death. As he was about to leave Kerala for Abu Dhabi, after his father’s last rites, a friend called to say someone known to him would deliver a packet to be brought to Abu Dhabi.

Thomas’ brother Josh Sebastian said: “Thomas did not have any reason to doubt the contents of the packet since it was his friend who had called. But after landing in Abu Dhabi, my brother was arrested by the customs department there as the packet contained drugs. We were shocked to hear about it.

“Soon we informed the police here who traced the person who handed the packet. The police arrested him and three others. Now all of them are in jail here and we have come to know that they are people who deal in drugs,” he said.

Following the arrests, Thomas’ family approached Chandy who took up the case with Sushma Swaraj.

“All the details of the arrest made here and supporting documents to this effect were handed over to Swaraj, who in turn took up the case with the Indian embassy, and my brother is now free. The release took place after Chandy met Swaraj in Delhi on Thursday,” Sebastian said.

Thomas, an aluminium fabricator, reached Abu Dhabi last December and now after his release, is waiting to return home.

“I am told that I have to wait for some time before I get my passport. I wish to go back to Kerala, but it can happen only after I get back my passport,” said Thomas.

 

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