Malayali expats express safety concerns in Kerala after prominent NRI businessman’s abduction
Jeddah: The abduction of expatriate businessman V. P. Muhammed Ali has caused concern among the Malayali community in Jeddah, where he has been a prominent figure in business and social circles for nearly five decades.
Muhammed Ali, originally from Poongode in Kalikavu, Malappuram, runs several business ventures in Saudi Arabia, other Gulf countries and Kerala. He is the Managing Director of Jeddah National Hospital and the Rayan Medical Group. News of his abduction has unsettled Gulf-based Malayalis, many of whom regard him as an important supporter of the expatriate community.
The incident occurred on Saturday around 6.30 pm while he was travelling to Kochi Nedumbassery Airport to return to Jeddah. As his vehicle reached Arangottukara on the Malappuram–Palakkad district border, an Innova car reportedly intercepted his vehicle. A group of unidentified men allegedly threatened him at gunpoint, forced him out and pushed him into their car before speeding away.
He was taken to a house in Kothakurissi in Palakkad district and kept captive. In the early hours of Sunday, he managed to escape while his abductors were asleep and reached a nearby mosque for help. Local residents took him to a hospital, where he is undergoing treatment for injuries, including facial wounds.
The motive for the abduction is not yet clear. Muhammed Ali is involved in a case pending before the Supreme Court related to a college in the Nilgiris, and his relatives suspect that individuals connected to the dispute may be behind the kidnapping. Police have intensified the investigation, but the lack of arrests has led to frustration among expatriates.
Malayalis in Jeddah say the incident raises broader concerns about safety in Kerala, particularly for businesspersons and investors. They have urged authorities to ensure the immediate arrest of those responsible and take strong legal action in the case.
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PM Modi shifts to 'Bankim babu' as TMC objects to 'Bankim da' reference
New Delhi (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi's reference to Bankim Chandra Chatterjee, the author of Vande Mataram, as 'Bankim da' was objected to by the Trinamool Congress on Monday, prompting him to add the more respectful suffix 'babu' to the legendary poet's name.
Trinamool Congress member Saugata Roy, during the debate on 150 years of national song Vande Mataram in the Lok Sabha, asked the prime minister to use the suffix 'babu' while referring to Chatterjee.
"I will say Bankim Babu. Thank you, I respect your sentiments," the prime minister said.
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In a lighter vein, Modi quickly asked whether he could still refer to Roy as 'dada'.
"I can call you dada, right? Or you have an objection to that, too," the prime minister said.
Earlier, the prime minister had asked about Roy's well-being when the Trinamool Congress member had made some remarks at the start of the debate.
Roy is the fifth term Lok Sabha member from Dum Dum constituency in West Bengal.
