Nearly a decade of his life lost over a company he never managed. An Indian father remains trapped in Qatar over its debts even after being removed from its records in 2017. He missed his father’s funeral rites, watched his marriage collapse, and has been kept apart from his young daughter as she grows up without him.
According to his family, Gaurav and his father were both named on the company’s commercial registration, and Gaurav signed an agreement with his sister, the local sponsor, and the guarantors. However, he never managed the business, never controlled its accounts, and never conducted its dealings, supporting himself through separate employment.
Gaurav pictured with his daughter whom he hasn't seen for over a decade.
In 2017 the sponsor bought his shares and took over his liabilities, and Gaurav was completely removed from the registration but the claims kept coming. After his father died in 2019, the company’s assets were seized, leaving no business to operate and nothing with which to settle what was owed.
His family says the remaining local partner has threatened Gaurav and his sister with criminal complaints over the debts.
His family says the remaining local partner has threatened Gaurav and his sister with criminal complaints over the debts.
Gaurav has been left without residency status, rendering him unable to legally work. Without work, he cannot pay but he can't leave. His elderly mother’s health is now deteriorating, and he is still unable to return home or care for her.
He struggles to afford food and has lost a considerable amount of weight. He has a serious heart condition that is afraid to have treated. Repeated approaches to the Indian Embassy have been fruitless.
He struggles to afford food and has lost a considerable amount of weight. He has a serious heart condition that is afraid to have treated. Repeated approaches to the Indian Embassy have been fruitless.
Radha Stirling, CEO of Detained in Doha and Due Process International, said:
"Leaving someone destitute does not recover a debt. It destroys a person, and it is happening in plain sight. What is achieved by keeping him there indefinitely, or until he is homeless or his health fails completely?”
Detained in Dubai has witnessed what prolonged debt restrictions do. American grandfather Bruce Strickland spent ten years stranded in the UAE over debts he says he never owed, missing both parents’ funerals and never meeting three of his grandchildren. Following Detained in Dubai's campaign and US diplomatic efforts, American lecturer David Oliver was allowed home after two years stranded over debts while seriously ill. Sadly, he died shortly after. John Murphy has been homeless on the streets during Iran's missile strike because he is not allowed to work nor leave.
Detained in Dubai’s media and diplomatic pressure has helped secure the release of people held over disputed debts, including British businessman Albert Douglas who was held over a cheque he never wrote.
“David Oliver’s case showed that these situations can be resolved when governments decide to act,” Stirling said. “It also showed the human cost of waiting too long. “India must urgently engage with Qatar, and work towards bringing him home. A humanitarian resolution is urgently required.”
Gaurav's family is requesting the Indian government to engage with their Qatari counterparts to bring a resolution to this nightmare.
His family has set up a fundraiser to support his immediate living and medical needs, obtain legal and administrative assistance, and pursue a safe route home: Donate Here
