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Crimes by expats declining, says Oberoi

Dubai - Oberoi spoke to Khaleej Times after repatriating 14 youths from Punjab and one from Bihar, India, for two separate murder cases.

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Cases of bootlegging, gang fights and murder have reduced considerably in the UAE, according to Indian social worker and hotelier SP Singh Oberoi.
Since the laws have become stricter and expatriate workers are more aware of the penalties for such crimes, there are fewer crimes and convicts these days, he says.
Oberoi spoke to Khaleej Times after repatriating 14 youths from Punjab and one from Bihar, India, for two separate murder cases. The youths have already returned to their families in India.
"The cases I am fighting now are a few years old. They took place in 2011 and 2015 respectively. However, I think such cases are on the down-low. The youth are becoming more aware and aren't falling into bad company," he added.
Oberoi, through his charitable trust Sarabat Da Bhala, has rescued and repatriated 93 individuals who faced the death penalty in the UAE. He claims to have spent approximately Dh10.8 million in blood money and court expenses.
"In most cases, the families of these young men live in severe poverty. They sell gold and property to send their sons to work in the UAE. In a bid to make quick money, the men take to crime, bootlegging and get involved in gang fights."

Recent cases

The 14 young men, from India and Pakistan, were arrested in two cases registered in Sharjah and Al Ain, and the court had given them death sentences.
The first case, registered in Sharjah in November 2011, was for the murder of Indian national Virendra Singh Chauhan from Uttar Pradesh and the second case was registered in 2016 against 10 Punjabi men for the killing of a Pakistani national, Muhamad Farhaan. The first family was given blood money worth Dh116,245, and the family in Pakistan were given Dh200,000.
In both cases, Oberoi filed the appeals after their death sentence and visited the families of the victims many times, to persuade them to accept the blood money. "In the case of the family from Pakistan, I had to convince the father to appear in court thrice. In both cases, the victims were the only breadwinners," Oberoi added.
Former Sharjah residents Ranjit Ram, Dalwinder Singh, Sucha Singh, Dharmendra Singh and Harwinder Singh - who returned to India in April - were convicted of Chauhan's murder.
Meanwhile, the 10 men accused of murdering Farhaan were Satminder Singh, Chander Shekhar, Chamkor Singh, Kulwinder Singh, Balwinder Singh, Dharamvir Singh, Harjinder Singh, Tarsem Singh, Gurpreet Singh, Jagjit Singh and Kuldeep Singh. They returned to India last week.
The families of all 14 men said their children had been brought back from the "jaws of death". Satminder Singh said: "I am hoping to start afresh by looking for new job. I wish I could turn back time and undo my crimes, but I hope to be a good human being for the rest of my life."
The first victim, Chauhan, hailed from a low-income family. Oberoi said: "They were desperately in need of the money. He left behind a sick mother and five unmarried daughters. The money will go into their upbringing, weddings and education."
In an earlier interview with Khaleej Times, Chauhan's brother Rajinder said: "Though his death left us shattered, we needed the blood money to raise his children. We realised that nothing will ever bring him back. Now, the children can be sent to school and his older daughters can be married off. My brother's son goes to school regularly."
He added: "I believe everyone deserves a second chance. Youngsters should not be trapped by the lure of quick money. Also, families need to teach their kids about right and wrong. They need to be taught to live with whatever money they earn by working hard."
dhanusha@khaleejtimes.com