83 Keralites in Oman military prisons

Thiruvananthapuram, Sept 18 (UNI) Kerala Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan today informed the State Assembly that 83 Malayalees were lodged in military prisons in Oman as they did not have proper documents.

The government had taken necessary steps for getting them released, he said while replying to questions by Mr K Babu of the Congress.

As directed by the Indian Embassy in Oman, the government had published their names in newspapers asking them to produce relevant documents to prove their identity for getting release, he said.

The government had already sent to the Embassy relevant documents which it had received, he added.

Mr Achuthanandan said the government had information that people from the state had been recruited to Iraq for employment under the guise of taking them to Kuwait for jobs. Effective steps were being taken to check such unauthorised recruitments, he added.

UNI CGV1735