Indian farmer on death row returns home, hails Saudi prison authorities

[gallery size="medium" td_select_gallery_slide="slide" td_gallery_title_input="Indian farmer on death row returns home, hails Saudi prison authorities" ids="124296,124294,124295"]   Irfan Mohammed JEDDAH — It was an emotional reunion for Chepuri Limbadri, an Indian farm worker, with his family members back home. Limbadri was on death row for nearly a decade in Najran town in Saudi Arabia. He was released last week from Najran jail after being shifted to central prison in Riyadh from where he flew to Hyderabad on Sunday. Speaking to Saudi Gazette over the phone, after coming out from the airport, Limbadri said at one stage he had lost hope, but it was a miracle that he was saved by Saudi businessman Sheikh Awad Ali Quraya, who paid SR1.3 million as blood money to the family members of the deceased Saudi national. He said that it was his trust in Saudis that made him to walk free from the death row as they paid his blood money. “I still can’t believe that I have reached my country,” said an emotional Limbadri. He said that he had lost all hopes at one stage and passed through extreme psychological stress, which was worse than death penalty itself.  He added: “I requested the prison authorities a number of times to execute me rather than keeping me on the death row.” The released worker commended the humanitarian conduct of the Saudi authorities, especially inside the prison. He said that jail authorities took personal care of all inmates, irrespective of their religion or region. He also told that the Saudi officials act friendly, reflecting purely humanitarian relations. He thanked the prison officials and said that they had helped him and other inmates often. He recalled the emotional farewell accorded to him by other expatriate inmates as he was being released from the jail. Limbadri told that he couldn’t believe when a jail guard came and informed him that one Saudi businessman Sheikh Awad Ali Quraya has paid SR1.3 million to the family of the deceased but later an officer confirmed that congratulated me by saying mabruk (congratulations). Hailing from the southern Indian state of Telanganda, Limbadri was working as a farm worker in Najran. As per case details which date back to 2006, he had a argument with a neighboring Saudi farmer apparently over grazing, during the brawl he had pushed aside the latter, who fell down and later died in a hospital. Limbadri was arrested by police and court sentenced him to death, with Indian consulate’s help he appealed against the sentence in upper court and later in higher court the judgment of the lower court was upheld. Awad Ali Quraya, a business tycoon in the field of heavy equipment and fondly known as ‘crane king’ in Middle East Region of Al Khobar learnt about the plight of Chepuri and paid SR 1.3 million to the family members of the deceased and secured the release.