About two months ago in Makkah a heavy truck crashed into a car in broad daylight and killed four schoolchildren. The Pakistani driver fled the scene and was never seen again. Now it is reported that the driver arrived safe and sound in his home country after fleeing the Kingdom.
I was witness to the accident which happened on a street that I drive on every day. After the bodies and wreckage were removed, the search began for the driver.
I followed the case through local police officers I know and from reports in the local newspaper. The driver’s Saudi sponsor was summoned to provide information that could help in the arrest of the driver. While all this was going on, everyone was shocked to learn that the driver had returned to his home country.
The news further traumatized the victims’ unfortunate families and their friends as well as the general public. The man simply disappeared, leaving the families of the victims utterly baffled as to how he had done so.
Obviously, he managed to leave the country even though his passport was with his sponsor. He managed to get out of the country despite police bulletins sent to all the Kingdom’s exit points.
It remains a mystery how he managed to escape. Did he get a fake passport or was he issued with a substitute from his country’s embassy? And how did he get an exit visa from the Passports Department? Did he turn himself in to the police at one of the deportation centers, presenting himself as someone who was an overstayer asking to be sent back? Did officials at the deportation center simply send him home on the first available flight? All these are questions that need answers.
A suspect whose name, nationality and job — as well as the name and address of his sponsor — are well-known flees the scene of a crime without leaving a trace. He then buys a ticket, goes to the airport, boards a flight and arrives in his home country, laughing at those who were hunting for him. If someone whose name and address are known could do these things, what can we expect from anonymous individuals who have no names, no place of work and no sponsors?
Arab News From the Local Press 22 June 2003
