By: Vinod Kumar
Five Indian nationals from Telangana have been imprisoned in Dubai since 2005 for murder.
The men, identified as Shivarathri Ravi, Shivarathri Mallesh, Shivarathri Hanumanthu, Nampalli Venkat, and Dandugala Laxman, were originally sentenced to 10 years, but this was later extended to life imprisonment on appeal. Among these five, four of them were released.
Their journey to freedom began in 2013 when they secured a pardon from the victim’s family in Nepal. Despite legal efforts and appeals, including intervention from the Indian Consulate at Dubai, only Dandugala Laxman was released in 2023. Finally, in January 2024, the prosecution ordered the release of Ravi, Mallesh, and Hanumanthu.
The Indian Consulate facilitated their return by issuing emergency certificates, and they arrived in India on February 21, 2024. Nampalli Venkat remains in jail as his request for release is still pending. The Consulate is assisting him in submitting another petition.