RIYADH: An Indian couple sentenced to jail for two years for hiring an illegal Nepalese housemaid, who was later found dead, have finally been released and repatriated to India.
“Roy Joseph and his wife Biji Thomas have been repatriated back to India after their release on Saturday,” said P. Balachandran, spokesman for the Indian Embassy in Riyadh.
The couple had been sentenced to jail for employing the Nepalese maid not knowing she had fled her Saudi sponsor. Eight months later the maid went missing only to be found dead near a roadside block. Police recovered Joseph’s mobile phone from the body, something that led them to suspect he was connected to the maid’s death.
“However, police later exonerated Joseph of the charges, especially after the maid’s relatives informed the authorities that they were not against his release,” said Balachandran, adding that the case relating to the maid’s private rights was settled last year. “But, it took two years for the couple to be released. This was due to other complications,” he said, adding that the couple were also charged for hiring a maid without proper residential papers.
Balachandran thanked Saudi officials for releasing the couple, whose relatives and friends collected SR100,000 in blood money for the victim’s relatives late last year. However, the couple had to complete a jail sentence for giving shelter to an illegal foreign national. During their time in jail, the couple’s 18-month-old twins were sent back to Kerala to stay with their relatives there.
Roy Joseph, an architect, and Biji, a nurse at King Khaled University Hospital, were initially arrested on charges of murdering the housemaid in July 2006. Relatives and friends mobbed the couple when they arrived at Cochin Airport on Saturday on a Saudia flight.
The couple’s friends and well wishers in Riyadh told Arab News that they were very happy that they had been released and thanked Saudi officials for releasing them. Speaking to the Indian press after arriving in India, Joseph said, “I want to thank my friends Sunny, Jos Thomas, James and all others who took great efforts to initiate our release from the jail.
