Hyderabad: Five days of anguish ended in relief for the family of Syed Baba, a 38-year-old man from Nizamabad who went missing en route to Saudi Arabia for work. The family, who had lost all contact with him after his departure, finally learned on Wednesday that he had been admitted to a hospital in Dubai. Baba’s brother, Mohammed Azharuddin, told TOI that the family’s fears eased only after a friend in Dubai personally visited the hospital and confirmed Baba’s presence. “We are relieved that my brother has been found, but the past few days were harrowing. His phone was switched off, and we had no idea where he was,” Azharuddin, auto driver, said. On Tuesday, the distressed family from Rasoolpura approached the CM Pravasi Praja Vani programme seeking help. Following their petition, officials, including Mandha Bheem Reddy, vice-chairman of the state NRI advisory committee, and representatives from the women and child development department, Emigrants Welfare Forum, and National Workers Welfare Trust initiated efforts to trace Baba’s whereabouts. As part of the search, Azharuddin was advised to contact the airline that Baba had boarded on Oct 3. The family learned that Baba flew from Mumbai to Dubai, where he was to catch a connecting flight to Abha, Saudi Arabia, to take up a job as a data entry operator. However, he reportedly missed his connecting flight after feeling unwell during a nine-hour layover at Dubai airport. “The airline informed us on Oct 7 that they found him at the airport and shifted him to a hospital,” Azharuddin said, adding that his brother, who had become weak, would remain under medical care for some time.
