The last group of Indian applicants seeking repatriation under the amnesty program waited for over 31 hours at the deportation center in Jeddah between Tuesday morning and Wednesday afternoon.

Indian Consulate officials remained at the deportation center throughout the night, guiding applicants and coordinating with passport officials at the deportation center.

Mohammed Saleem, a middle-aged man from Bihar, told Arab News that he fainted on Tuesday night and was provided first aid by the consulate team. “Several elderly applicants took ill and were vomiting throughout the night. Indian officials took care of them and provided them with food,” he said.

Abdul Ghafoor, another applicant from Assam, who was seen crying for help, told Arab News on Wednesday: “With the help of Indian officials, I was able to record my fingerprints. Saudi authorities have told me that now I can proceed to the airport and purchase my ticket home.”

Applicants began arriving at the deportation center at 7 a.m. on Tuesday, but the process of biometric registration began only after 8 p.m. and did not conclude until Wednesday afternoon. Even then, a few hundred applicants were still waiting to record their biometrics.

Some applicants said that there was only one counter in operation and that only one machine was available, which frequently experienced snags.