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KT employee is manhandled at Sharjah airport

On July 13, G. Krishnan was apprehended at Sharjah Airport upon return from vacation in India and accused of not clearing outstanding loans with HSBC bank, which he had already cleared in April, 2003. "I was handcuffed, locked up and shifted from Sharjah to Dubai Police Headquarters and accused of being an absconding criminal," said a visibly upset Krishnan.

"I was shocked by the treatment because I had already cleared the bank dues two years ago. Even more surprising was that during all this time, I had travelled twice through the same airport, and even recently in June when I went on vacation," he said.

Giving details, Krishnan said : "Six policemen from Dubai Police Station handcuffed me and took me to Raffa Police Station as the case was registered there. In the meantime, I contacted a friend who knew people in HSBC, and in a short while, a person from the bank came with my clearance papers, and finally I was released after a full day was wasted and I was humiliated," he said.

"There was no way I could communicate with the police because of language problem. I just wanted to know why the whole matter was not verified before the arrest was made," he said.

Commenting on the incident, an official from Sharjah police said : "The Indian was arrested on July 13 at Sharjah Airport because his name was in the system and the officers were doing their duty. It is the responsibility of HSBC bank to send us a letter informing us that this man had settled his dues and also request for removal of his name from the list. But in this case, the bank did not do so. So how will the police know that the problem between the bank and creditor was settled?"

He said usually, bank representatives come to the police with a list of creditors' names to lodge complaints against them. "They also present cheques signed by these creditors to prove they are guilty. Sharjah police follow the normal legal procedures followed by police departments all over the world," he explained.

"The first thing they do is to look for the creditors and issue them a memorandum and ask them to attend the police station and give an explanation. If the police fail to find the creditor, they will then send a circular to all ports to include his/her name in the computer," the official said, adding : "But if the bank sends a letter informing the police that the creditor had settled his dues, his name will be dropped from the system."

"The creditor has the right to sue the bank for creating a problem with police which affected his reputation," he said.

Krishnan, however, said that in 2003, he had presented the bank clearance papers to the police to get back his passport.

Dina Kotby, Press and Communications Executive, HSBC Bank Middle East Limited, said : "It is not our practice to disclose customers' details. However, we can confirm that in this case, the action taken by the police was based on outdated information. Once the bank was contacted, we were able to confirm the current position quickly and the individual was then released. We are grateful to Sharjah and Dubai police for rapid resolution of the case."

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