UAE authorities pardon overstay fines of over Dh160,000 for two minor brothers

Dubai - The boys flew home to their mum in Kerala, India, late Tuesday night.

Immigration authorities in Sharjah have pardoned overstay fines of nearly Dh167,000 in the case of two minor Indian boys, Khaleej Times has learnt.

The brothers, aged 17 and 12, hail from Kerala and flew home to their mother on Tuesday, according to social workers who had been assisting them.

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Dressed in black hoodies and baseball caps, the brothers shared their ordeal ahead of their flight to India on Tuesday.

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The adolescent boys said they had been living without proper documentation in the UAE for four years. “We stopped going to school in 2017,” A.M. (name withheld to protect identity), the older brother, told Khaleej Times.

The boys’ mother left for India in September last year during the brief amnesty period that was launched by the UAE authorities amid Covid-19.

“Our father had several financial difficulties. After a while, he was finding it difficult to provide us with food and medical care,” the 17-year-old said.

A.M. said they were a happy family till 2008.

The brothers studied at an Indian curriculum school in Sharjah. The older brother speaks fluent Arabic as he studied in an Arabic curriculum school from kindergarten to Grade 3.

“Our mother left us behind with our father, hoping we would have access to better opportunities and education. Unfortunately, since her departure, things got worse,” A.M. said.

The boys approached officers at Al Wasit Sharjah Police station in July this year.

The police handed the boys over to the Sharjah Indian Association, said Nasser Olagara, the UAE chapter president of Child Protection Team (CPT), Kerala.

Social workers intervene

EP Johnson, president of Sharjah Indian Association, explained: “Almost a fortnight ago, these boys came to our office. I was familiar with their case because we repatriated their mother with the help of the Consulate General of India in Dubai.

“While this is an internal family matter, our priority is the welfare of these kids. The boys gave us a written complaint and our PRO Srihari worked with the social workers, including the officers with CPT, and arranged facilities for their protection and financial support.”

The boys’ passports had expired, Olagara said.

Johnson added: “With the help of immigration authorities, Sharjah Police, and the Consulate General of India in Dubai, we were able to clear their outstanding dues and issue outpasses for them to travel.”

Shafeel Kannur, the secretary of CPT in UAE, said they secured the boys’ transfer certificates from the school they were studying in. Markaz, a social group in Kerala, has offered to sponsor their further education.”

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The kids’ mother, RM, told Khaleej Times over the phone from India: “What is done is done. I don’t want to look at the past, I want to educate my children.”

A.M. said he wants to come back to the UAE some day.

“I want to become an Islamic scholar and work as a police officer. My brother wants to become a veterinary doctor. We look forward to a brighter future.”

dhanusha@khaleejtimes.com

• Dubai