Innocent Nepali languishing in foreign jail

KAVRE, March 17: When Ramchandra Timilsinna of Kushadevi - 2 had left for Saudi Arabia two years ago to earn money, everyone in his family was hopeful that their days of poverty would soon be over.

Ramchandra's wife Sarita thought that the painful distance with her husband is worth bearing as that would brighten the future of her two little sons. Time however had different plan for the family. Ramchandra is now in a Saudi Arabia jail for a crime his family believes he never committed and this has devastated them back in Nepal.

"When will my father come back?" Sarita has to face this question from her five and seven year old sons several times a day. And she does not know the answer. The news of her husband jailed had reached to her on the day of the Gorkha earthquake. The earthquake had rendered her family homeless like thousands of others. "The earthquake hit in the morning destroying our house, and after some hours I was informed that he has been jailed. His friend had called me," said Sarita.

She had talked with her husband two days before the earthquake. Everything was normal till then and he had told her that he would be coming back after some time. Just next day, he was arrested on the charge of driving under influence and killing a person.

"His friend had called me at around 3 pm on that day while we were shocked by the earthquake. But the news was more shocking for me," lamented Sarita. She added that the matter was so serious that she was not able to share that with others. People would make an issue out of that. "I remained silent until he called me back one day from jail only. By listening to his voice I could feel that he was innocent. I felt that there's no ground below my feet. I want to save him but don't know how," Sarita said with teary eyes.

Before heading to Saudi Arabia, Ramchandra had purchased a mini bus by taking loan from a cooperative. After getting route-permit to ply it along the Panauti - Kathmandu route, he spent some months driving it himself. But as the earnings were not sufficient to payoff the loan, he left for Qatar. After a 13-months stay, he returned back home. But as the family could pay off the loan, he had gone to Saudi Arabia.

"We still have to pay Rs 600,000 to the cooperative. He had left for Saudi Arab to pay the same," Sarita informed. The couple had tied nuptial knot a decade ago. Soon, they were blessed with two sons. Elder son Nirajan studies in Arunodaya Secondary School in Panauti while the younger goes to nursery class in Lilawati National Academy. Since the news of their father languishing in jail has hit them, they boys are quite disturbed. Jogmai and Seshnarayan, Ramchandra's parents have stopped smiling.

Apart from the loan of the bus, the family has another Rs 50,000 loan which it had taken during the post earthquake period. "We took the loan for erecting temporary shelters. We could not even get the relief distributed by the government as my husband's brother were not officially separated," she said.

Ramchandra had gone to Saudi Arab through Worldwide Employment Private Limited, Tripureshwor, Kathamndu. According to Sarita, the company had charged Rs 100,000 to Ramchandra then. "But the job given to him was not the same that was promised to him," she said. "The agency had said that he would be driving heavy truck of a company. But there, he was given responsibility of driving a contractor's truck," she added.

Ramchandra was contacted over phone and he told Republica that he is innocent and was framed by some Pakistanis. "After loading cement from the factory, I was in the parking area. A car came and crashed into my truck, killing a women passenger. Those car occupants, whom I later came to know were Pakistanis, overwhelmed me with force. They spilled alcohol on me, placed the bottle inside my truck and got me arrested for driving under influence an killing a person," Ramchandra informed while narrating how he landed into prison.

Ramchandra has been accused of killing a person while driving under influence. But Ramchandra says that the charges as baseless. "I never took alcohol even while I was in Nepal. Here, it's out of question. I swear that I have been framed," he said. "I have little two sons and my aging parents, I swear of them that I have not done any wrong," pleaded Ramchandra.

"I have been in jail since eight months, but my boss has never shown up since he handed over my passport to authorities after some days of my arrest," Ramchandra said. His lawyer, has said the court could fine him up to Rs 10 million. "I cannot arrange that amount even if I sell everything I have in Nepal?" he said. With the proceedings nearly finished, Ramchandra now awaits the court's verdict.

Ramchandra said he was still hoping that the Nepal government or Non Residential Nepalese (NRN) organizations would save him from languishing in jail for a crime that he never committed. "I have heard that the Nepal embassy, NRN can save me from languishing in a jail," he said. "Though repeated calls to embassy, and Nepali organizations has not brought help so far. I am hopeful that it will one day." he said.