Diplomats have intervened on behalf of a Bahraini businessman who has been stuck in India for more than a week after overstaying his visa.

Abdulkarim Al Fulaij was due to return to Bahrain on March 12, but was prevented from leaving Chennai because his one-year business visa expired on March 2, said a report in the Gulf Daily News (GDN), our sister publication.

He flew into the country a day before the visa expired on March 1, thinking he could extend it once there.

However, he was stopped when he tried to leave and is now receiving support from the Bahrain Embassy in Delhi and the Indian Embassy in Bahrain, which said it had contacted Indian authorities and asked them to allow him to leave.

"The Foreigners Regional Registration Office in Chennai was sent a letter by the Indian Embassy in Bahrain to complete all formalities to issue an urgent exit visa," said an Indian diplomat in Bahrain yesterday.

Al Fulaij, who owns Marsim Store in Manama, was due to return home today after Indian authorities issued an exit pass.

However, he criticised the way the issue was handled and questioned why he was prevented from leaving the country.

"I would like to inform the Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) that Indian delegations visiting us (Bahrain) only want our money," he said in a letter addressed to the BCCI, referring to a visit earlier in the week.

"They want to take everything and give nothing back.

"We treat these delegations with so much respect and yet we are being mistreated and abused when we require legitimate help from their part."

He said he was made to feel like a criminal for simply misunderstanding the visa rules.

"We should not be mistreated due to a single mistake of misreading the visa rules and be treated like a criminal," he lamented.

"We need to review our policies towards India." - TradeArabia News Service