He went to Saudi Arabia never to return 

Special Correspondent 
 
Ramanathapuram, June 05, 2018 00:00 IST


K.Panchavarnam with her family members at the Collectorate in Ramanathapuram on Monday.L. Balachandar 

Family seeks government’s help to bring back his body

When K. Karuppaiah (52) left for Saudi Arabia nine-and-a-half years ago, looking for greener pastures, he would have least imagined that he would never return home.

Karuppaiah of Moopanvalasai went to Saudi Arabia in 2009, leaving behind his wife, a semi-literate, and two sons, both school dropouts, after he was promised gardening work for a lucrative monthly salary.

On landing at the desert country, however, he found there was no garden. He was forced to herd sheep in a desert, far away from the town. Soon, Karuppaiah, an illiterate, became a shepherd, and a tent in a desert became his residence.

Whenever he wanted to return home, the owner, an Arab, would hold back his passport, intimidate him and issue threats. The poor man could not come home when his two sons got married a few years ago and when his brother K Arumugam died two years ago.

The only solace for the family was that he could be contacted over phone. His wife K Panchavarnam (46) would re-charge her phone for Rs. 25 to talk to her husband, as Karuppaiah would have no balance in his phone. Before she completed her enquiry about his well-being, the money would be exhausted.

After discovering that the Arab never paid his brother, Arumugam, who was working in Saudi Arabia, contacted him through his Arab owner and got his brother’s salary credited into his bank account. He was helping the family till he was in Saudi Arabia. The salary stopped coming after he returned home a couple of years ago and died, his son A Muniasamy said.

As the family members were trying to get him back home, a person from Kumbakonam working in Saudi Arabia, called them and informed them about Karuppaiah death. It appeared that the Arab owner found him dead on May 25 after Karuppaiah failed to respond to phone calls for two days, said Muniasamy.

He said he spoke to the Arab, who confirmed the death.

Panchavarnam, accompanied by her sons and family members, visited the collectorate here on Monday and requested Collector S. Natarajan to help her to bring back her husband’s body.

Muniasamy said the Arab, when contacted, assured them that he would clear the five-year salary backlog and send the body after Ramzan. However, he did not respond to phone calls now, he said.

Mr. Natarajan assured the distraught family to do the needful.