Imagine living without any identity! Sounds scary right? Well, an Indian national in the UAE has been living in the UAE without proper documentation for 16 years. Neela Yellaiah, a blue-collar worker arrived in the UAE in 2004 without any proper documentation. The old man is among those seeking repatriation amid the Covid-19 pandemic. However, under the assistance of the UAE government, he has finally re-united with his family in the Indian state of Telangana on 1 September. On that note, here’s how Two Stranded Indian Teens Reached Home In Time For Eid.
How Did The Government Find Neela?
Neela arrived in the UAE in 2004 without any proper documentation. The Indian Consulate had to dig into the passport database to trace his identity. However, the officials could not find anything on him. Finally, the UAE authorities contacted the RPO in Hyderabad for his details. The only document Neela had was an election ID from 2002.
Rupesh Mehta, a UAE resident found Neela when visited a workers’ accommodation in the Sharjah industrial area in June. “When I got to the industrial area, I met some men who asked me to help Neela (Yellaiah) even before they received help,” the expat said.
Neela was found in an impoverished state, unable to speak clearly. He was doing odd jobs to make ends meet. Besides, without any proper identity, sending him back was a big challenge for the government. In fact, the authorities were also clueless how he travelled to the UAE without any documents. Neela could only converse in Telugu and this made it even more difficult for people to help him. Also read this story of Dubai Residents Who Returned Home With AED 50,000 Bills After 105 Days In Maldives.
How Did He Finally Travel Back Home?
Months of waiting and tireless efforts by the Hyderabad RPO, helped the consulate to verify his identity. The UAE authorities then issued an emergency travel document. Neela was in the country for 16 years with no proper ID. This also meant he was fined heavily. The UAE authorities could not ascertain the exact fine amount, but it was definitely at several hundreds of thousands. However, the local immigration authorities considered this as a special case and waived off Neela’s fines.
Finally, Neela returned home to his daughter and a grandchild, whom he hadn’t met in the last 16 years. His daughter was still a daughter when he left for the UAE. Also read this story of an expat who reached Dubai after traveling 40 Hours, 4 Days, 5 Cities.
First Published: September 03, 2020 10:03 AM