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jagdesh   19 August 2015

Lookout notice on my passport

Hi All

So here is my story...

I worked in Dubai and in year 2008-2012. During this time you all know there was also a the big bubble which busted on Dubai and caused Dubai to fall into financial rescission, I know the entire world was covered in it but since my case is linked to Dubai therefore I am focusing on that.

 

Anyways, due to financial crisis I decided that my job was not going well, therefore decided to quit but my manager was not willing to release me. During this time an incident took place at our office, since my company that time was working in E-commerce, at our office we use to have many valuable items like mobile phones, Ipads, SLR cameras, laptops etc. 

 

Since I was incharge taking delivery of these items I use to store them in one of meeting rooms. I did not even have the key to the office and therefore I could not even open the office in the morning or after hours.

 

One of the employees saw this security invulnerability and used it to his/her advantage. Like I said we use to store many brand new items in our meeting rooms and once the customer placed their orders online on our site we use to ship them out. Therefore we use to maintain extra stock of items. The employee slowly started taking few items out of the office during office hours or after hours since these items were kept in the meeting room there was no camera coverage so no body could see or tell what was going on. Inventory was not taken on a regular basis since new items kept coming and going out everyday.

 

Eventually the excess inventory which was supposed to be present was not anymore since that employee was taking it out of the office for his own personal gain, this was brought to the notice of the higher management. They took the decision to alert the police and let them come and investigate the issue.

 

Being a Indian and expatriate I was aware that the police will question me and suspect me for this immoral act and convict me since I use to take deliveries and keep these items in the store room. What the higher management and all employees including myself knew was that the meeting room could not be locked and there was no surveillance in office so the obvious doubt will fall on the person taking care of these items. Since it was miss on my part as well I also knew the law of the land in Dubai. The police will arrest you first and when pressured by the higher management to solve the case will convict the person incharge and if you are caught by the police in Dubai your life as you know it is over. 

 

I have a wife and a boy who was only 2 year old at that time therefore I was left with no alternative but to leave the country immediately before the police shows up at our office.

 

So I left for India in 2012. My office and higher management took this action of mine as a act to avoid justice and conviction so they declared me the criminal in this case. LET ME TELL YOU THIS POINT THAT I AM INNOCENT...I kept on telling my company that I am not the person they are looking for but they closed the case and investigation with the help of police. I found out from my local references and contacts that my organization has filed an absconding case against me in Ministry of Labor therefore I now have a BAN from entering any UAE countries.    

 

I am no where interested in going back to UAE and therefore carried on with my life here in India. Since the company did not listen to me I stopped contacting them and they stopped emailing me. 

 

Fast forward to 2014, I am now working in a USA company based in Gurgaon in India. Due to the nature of work I was required to travel to Sri Lanka (Colombo) for 3 days.

 

I was traveling to Sri Lanka from Chennai airport and I did not have any problems with immigration at that time. When I returned from Sri Lanka I had arrived at NEW DELHI Airport. 

 

At New Delhi Airport I was stopped at immigration, when I asked them why they told me that there is LOOKOUT NOTICE ISSUED BY INTERPOL AGAINST ME. They asked me lot of questions about Dubai and my work and why I would think this lookout notice is issued against me. I told them I dont know about any such notice. They even asked me if I was questioned at when I was going out of India through Chennai Airport at Chennai immigration, I told them NO they did not stop me or ask me anything. The Delhi airport immigration officer told me that Chennai Airport immigration might have not paid attention to the alert.... At that point they kept me waiting for 2-3 hours and they send some details via fax. After asking them many times they said that this LOOKOUT NOTICE WHICH IS AGAINST ME INSTRUCTS THEM DETAIN - QUESTION AND CHECK WHENVER I PASS THROUGH IMMIGRATION therefore they have sent my information and are waiting for approval to let me go. WELL THE APPROVAL CAME AND I WAS RELEASED... I asked if this will happen again they said MOSTLY IT WILL NOT SINCE THE NEW COMMENT AS BEEN ADDED IN MY FILE.

 

In 2015 I again went to Sri Lanka on business and flew from New Delhi Airport. At the time of immigration I was again detained due to this LOOKOUT NOTICE. The difference this time was that the Immigration supervisor was very helpful and gave me some information on this LOOKOUT NOTICE which is

 

- This Lookout notice has been issued by interpol
- This notice states to detain - hold and then check with authorities if this traveler (ME) is allowed to travel internationally
- Once they get a the approval they release me to travel
- This LOOKOUT NOTICE HAS BEEN SETUP DUE TO "BREACH OF TRUST" IN 2012 BY MY EMPLOYER IN DUBAI
- EVERYTIME I WILL PASS THROUGH INDIAN IMMIGRATION I WILL BE HELD AND DETAINED, ONCE THEY RECEIVE THE APPROVAL TO LET ME GO THEY WILL RELEASE ME BUT THIS WILL HAPPEN EVERY TIME WHEN I PASS THROUGH DEPARTURE AND ARRIVAL IMMIGRATION

 

The samething happened to me when I returned from Sri Lanka to New Delhi, I was held in immigration and they did the same process. They informed me that they will also have to send my flight details and ask for permission to let enter India...

 

[B][U]My questions are[/U][/B]
- This lookout notice was issued on my passport in year 2012, why is it still in effect and when will this expire?
- How can I remove this Lookout Notice from my passport permanently?
- Since 2012 when this notice was put on my passport, I did not receive any intimation or notice of any such action initiated against me

 

If someone can help me and point me to the right direction towards a solution, It will much appreciated



Learning

 2 Replies

SAINATH DEVALLA (LEGAL CONSULTANT)     19 August 2015

At the outset U have done a wrong thing by running away from Dubai,without informing UR office.According to UR first three paragraphs there have been irregularities commited in UR office and as incharge of the goods U have absolute responsibility for them,no matter who ever has frisked the items away.

U have mentioned that UR duty was to receive and again send the goods booked through online,one thing I would like to ask U is that,why w ere U not aware about the shortfall of the goods.U have thrown the blame of some employee,but UR office would not be bothered about it.Primilinary enquiry must have been orderded.So fearing to be caught U  ran away from Dubai,which is again a criminal offence as far as UR employment regulations are concerned.Hence UR company must have placed the matter before the interpol for a lookout notice.Once the look out notice is launched the reasons will also be mentioned in it.Why were U being let out by the immigration officials every time when U werre being detained in different Airports? Unless and untill U settle the matter with UR Dubai Employer nothing can be done.

Anon   28 August 2015

Sainath, 

Please be aware that UAE laws are very different for Indian laws. There is no due process. You can be in jail for no offense, and no proof is required to jail you. If the person making the complaint is a local (EMirati) as most business owners in UAE are, the matter gets compunded. If the OP had stayed back this is what would have happened;

1. OP would have been jailed without questioning, asked to sign confession in arabic

2. Held at police station overning and taken to Al Aweer in Dubai or Al Wathba in Abu Dhabi

3. Trial in arabic with no right to defend

4. Lawyers who demand INR 5,00,000 to present themselves at the court 

5. 99.99% probability of verdict in local's favor.

6. Meanwhile, OP's wife and Kid in limbo- cannot leave the UAE

7. OP will serve sentence - 1-3 years, realeased, deported with a deport stamp on passport.

 

The OP did a smart thing my moving out. Not being able to travel internationally is way better then being confined in prison.

 

OP, the situaition for you, according to me is clear -

You have been sentenced 'in absentia' by a UAE court - meaning either the Dubai / Abu Dhabi court of first instance has passed a sentence. You are now technically wanted by the UAE authorities to serve a sentence.

DONT travel abroad. Simple. I find that fact that you made repeated travels after finding out that there was a lookout notice, quite concerning.

The only way to have this removed will be by the court that sentenced you in the UAE, which will require you to present yourself there, and points above will happen.

Don't estimate that the same thing will happen each time (be let off) and don't assume that all red corner notices are published on the Interpol site. Some notices are for law enforcement view only

How do I know this ? I sent you a PM.


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