BOMBAY, 5 October 2005 — The Saudi woman, Thawab, now in an Indian jail with her alleged husband, Hidayat Khan, will be deported to Saudi Arabia after her trial, said Deputy Commissioner of Police and Public Relations Officer Rwab Khan Tadvi.
“She did not enter India legally and therefore cannot claim nationality on the basis of her marriage with an Indian national. There are procedures for foreigners seeking nationality on the basis of marriage to Indian nationals provided they entered the country legally.
“First there is a long-term visa and then an application to the government requesting nationality. As Thawab entered the country on forged documents, she is not entitled to Indian nationality and will be deported after serving the sentence passed by the Indian courts,” said Tadvi.
He confirmed that Thawab had entered India on an Emergency Certificate (EC) issued by the Indian Consulate in Jeddah, EC No. 911158. She arrived in India on March 23, 2005 and then married Hidayat in Calcutta.
According to Tadvi, Hidayat was employed by Thawab’s family from 1993 to Arpil 2001. When her family discovered that he was involved with their daughter, they sent him back to India. After he returned to India, he and Thawab were in regular telephonic contact.
Asked how Thawab got the EC which enabled her to travel to India, Tadvi explained that Noorul Habibullah, a friend of Hidayat, obtained an Indian passport in Bombay in the name of Abida Habibullah which he brought to Jeddah when he came on an Umrah visa. When he arrived in Jeddah, Habibullah informed consulate officials that Abida Habibullah’s passport had been lost and she applied for an EC and gave the lost passport’s details. Habiullah then put Thawab’s photographs on the application form and also on the EC. She was then able to travel to India as an Indian national. Habibullah escorted Thawab to Bombay, handed her over to Hidayat and disappeared. The police are currently looking for him.
Dhananjay Kamlakar, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) in charge of the investigations, when questioned about Thawab’s possible deportation, said he was cautious about the outcome of the trial. If the verdict, however, goes against Thawab there is every likelihood that she will be deported.
When a senior police officer was told about the statement by Hifzur Rahman, consul, press and information at the Jeddah Consulate, that a foolproof system was in place prior to granting an EC, the officer asked what foolproof system? “We have the EC number and the name of the accused,” he added.
