The sponsor requested the money from the family of the deceased, Vijay Mohan Achari, 55, an Indian expatriate, who was working for a furniture shop in Manfouha district in the capital.

Early last week, the sponsor flatly refused to give his consent to release the body of Achari when a social worker approached him for settlement of the case. 

Shihab Kottugad, the social worker, said the business owner is demanding compensation from the next of kin, essentially holding the man's body in bureaucratic limbo by denying requisite consent following the Indian Embassy's clearance. Meanwhile, Achari's body remains unburied. Under Islamic customs, bodies are typically prepared and buried as soon as possible. Achari' is survived by a wife and two daughters back home in Trivandrum, Kerala. According to Kottugad, the family members of the deceased are unable to pay any money to the sponsor since they lead a hand-to-mouth life.

In fact, Sathi, the wife of the deceased, says the employer owes her back pay from the labor her husband, who she pointed out worked for the sponsor for about 20 years. The sponsor was no identified publicly.