‘Baseless attention seeking’: What Saudi authorities said on UP man's viral video
The man in the viral video urgently appealed to viewers to help him return home, even asking that the video be shared with India's Prime Minister.
Saudi authorities have labelled a viral video of a man from Uttar Pradesh's Prayagraj pleading for help in Saudi Arabia as "baseless," claiming it was created and posted purely to attract social media views.
In a post on X, the Eastern Province Police said, A claim by an expatriate in a visual content expressing his desire to return to his country has no validity, and it was documented and published for the purpose of increasing the number of views on his account on one of the social media platforms."
The video, widely shared online, shows the man speaking in Bhojpuri with a camel in the background, claiming that his passport was seized and that he was being threatened by his employer.
The man also urgently appealed to viewers to help him return home, even asking that the video be shared with India's Prime Minister. The clip quickly went viral, amassing over 140,000 views within 24 hours.
Meanwhile, the Indian Embassy in Saudi Arabia confirmed it was trying to locate the individual but noted difficulties due to the lack of specifics in the video, such as the man's exact location, contact details, or employer information.
In a statement on X (formerly Twitter), the Embassy said, "The Embassy has been trying to locate the person. No further action can be taken as the video does not contain any details about the location/province in Saudi Arabia, or contact number or employer details."
What did the man say in the video?
The video, which surfaced on social media, shows a man speaking in Bhojpuri with a camel in the background, claiming he is held against his will in Saudi Arabia. The clip has drawn wide attention online, garnering over 140,000 views within 24 hours.
The man can be heard saying, "My village is in Allahabad… I came to Saudi Arabia. Kapil has my passport. I told him I need to go home, but he is threatening to kill me."
The video was shared by advocate Kalpana Shrivastav, who identified herself as a criminal lawyer in Delhi. Tagging external affairs minister S Jaishankar, she wrote, “Honourable Foreign Minister @DrSJaishankar ji, please take immediate cognisance, a resident of Prayagraj Handia Pratappur is stuck in Saudi Arabia.”
While the man's identity and whereabouts remain unverified, both Indian and Saudi authorities are monitoring the situation, emphasising caution against unverified claims while continuing efforts to ensure the individual's well-being.
