Kavre, August 9

Ramchandra Timalsina of Kushadevi VDC, Kavre, had left for Saudi Arabia in pursuit of a job two years ago, but the 35-year-old has been languishing in a prison in Saudi Arabia for the past 15 months.

Timalsina landed in the Central Jail in Saudi Arabia after he failed to pay the bail amount of 300,000 Saudi Riyal (equal to 9 million Nepali rupees) set by a Saudi court convicting him of a murder in an accident involving his vehicle.

One person had died when a car driven by Pakistani nationals had collided with a truck he had parked for loading cement from Jabirah Hayal Cement Factory. In a recent letter he wrote to Nepal’s prime minister, Timalsina has sought help.

“In fact, I was framed in the case, as after the incident someone kept a beer bottle in my vehicle and informed the police to show that I was driving under the influence, which I came to know weeks after I ended up in prison,” he has stated in the letter.

The Saudi court in its April 25 verdict convicted Timalsina of murder and ruled that he pay the compensation to the victim’s kin or face life imprisonment. ‘Please help me. I want to return to Nepal,’ the letter sent to the Nepali PM by Timalsina reads.

A bus driver in Nepal, Timalsina had opted for foreign employment after he couldn’t pay back the loan he had borrowed to manage his household expenses about 10 years ago. He has two sons and a wife. According to his wife Sarita, her husband has been out of contact for the past one year.

“For one year, we didn’t know about him until news about him appeared in the media,” she said, adding 3.5 million Nepali rupees would be enough to save him if the amount is deposited in the court within four weeks from now.

Meanwhile, a ‘Save Ramchandra’ fund-raising campaign has been organised in Kavre to help the jailed man. “So far we’ve collected Rs 801,000 from well-wishers and organisations. We will soon bring him back to Nepal,” said local leader Bhim Neupane.

Nepali migrant workers in South Korea are said to have collected 500,000 for the cause. Likewise, Rs 100,000 has been collected in Saudi Arabia itself for Timalsina’s release.