Man returns to emotional welcome from family after being jailed in Abu Dhabi on false charges

Kochi: Shiju Thomas, a native of Pizhala island in Kochi, who was jailed in Abu Dhabi for over 40 days on charge of drug trafficking, had an emotional homecoming with his mother and brothers and sisters and over 100 villagers at the Nedumbassery international airport on Tuesday evening.

His mother Jhansi Manuel broke down seeing her son coming out of the airport while siblings Nishi, Joshi, Shibu and Jisha remained speechless. DySP N K Sanil Kumar who cracked the drug trafficking case and proved Shiju’s innocence along with other cops guided Shiju out of the airport.

“I am happy to be home and also grateful to officials of Indian embassy and the state government who worked for my release. I thank Union External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj for helping me back home,” Shiju said.

Shiju told mediapersons at the airport that he was treated well while being lodged in an eight-member cell with two other Keralites. “They were released on amnesty while my detention continued. During Ramzan days, there was regulation of food, otherwise we were fine in jail,’’ he said.

The relatives and his mother who arrived at the airport were in no mood to allow Shiju go back to the Gulf. He said that the company where he worked as a welder told him that they would let him know about his return to the job in due course. He added that after undergoing the ordeal he was a bit nervous about going back to Abu Dhabi.

Ernakulam MLA Hibi Eden and Aluva MlA Anwar Sadath arrived at the airport to receive Shiju. DySP Sanil Kumar said a letter rogatory would be sent to the UAE to get the details of the case.

Shiju landed in jail after he was tricked to carry a package containing the contraband in flight by another person who made him believe that those were only books meant to be handed over to someone in Abu Dhabi. The contraband was concealed in the form of stamps, it was later found.