17 Indians pardoned over Pak man's killing sent to jail

Dubai, Sept 29: Seventeen Indians, whose death sentence for killing a Pakistani was revoked after the blood money was paid, were sent back to a Sharjah jail in the wake of demands for compensation by two men injured in the same incident, days before they were to fly back home.

The 17 Indians, mostly from Punjab, were pardoned after over Rs 4 crore was paid as blood money to the victim's family. They now face a travel ban owing to a "technical error", the law firm handling the case has said.

"It's a technical error in the judgement document which can only be rectified by a higher court in Abu Dhabi," a lawyer from Mohamed Salman Advocates and Legal Consultants said.

According the lawyer, even though the authorities are keen to close the case, getting dates will take some time.

The 17 Indians were to be deported on Saturday last.

S P Singh Oberoi, the Dubai-based hotelier who helped raise the blood money, said the men who were shifted to an out-jail were sent back to the Sharjah Central Jail on Thursday as a travel ban was imposed on them following an application filed by two men who had been injured in the brawl.

Arrangements such as tickets and out-passes had been made to fly them back home but now they can't go without settling this issue.

According to Singh, their families in Punjab have been informed about the delay.

Their death sentence was commuted after 3.4 million dirhams was paid as blood money to the family of Misri Nazir Khan, who died during a turf war of bootleggers in Sharjah in January 2009.

According to Singh, the travel ban was a precursor to a civil damages suit being contemplated by the injured duo Mushtaq Ahmed, and his brother Shahid Iqbal. Reports said Ahmed is demanding 1.5 million dirhams as compensation for the multiple injuries they sustained in the brawl.

PTI