Habib Hussain, an Indian who was arrested last month for hiding in a restroom when traveling back home from Saudi Arabia on an Air India passenger plane, was released on Saturday after being granted bail by a sessions court in Jaipur, Rajasthan in western India on Jan. 7, said officials.
After his release, a rather emotional Habib was noticed crying. "I am happy to be back in my country. I am happy to be back home. I faced a lot of hardship there. I just want to go and meet my family members now," he said.
He can now return to his village in Uttar Pradesh where his two children and pregnant wife are waiting for him.
Habib Hussain hid in a restroom in a plane headed from Saudi Arabia to India, but the court ruled that he is not a threat to national security.
Stowaway Habib Hussain's journey back home was a security breach for airport and intelligence officials.
For many other Indians, it was a story of desperation from a man who had been cheated of the little he owned, and of his dream of a better future for his family.
Hussain, who is 25, was arrested when his flight landed in Jaipur. Six months ago, Hussain, a poor farmer from Uttar Pradesh, met an agent
who sold him the Middle East dream. Hussain sold the small piece of land he owned and invested his entire savings in his move.
He claimed that when he reached Saudi Arabia, his passport was taken away. He worked for a company that provided services at the Medina airport.
In addition to cleaning the airport, he was allegedly asked to look after his employers' cattle.
Hussain said he was not paid, and was treated like bonded labor.
Last month, he helped a Haji (Muslim pilgrim), a woman pilgrim, with her luggage into an Air India plane. He then locked himself into the restroom. The cabin crew noticed him an hour into the flight. They handed him over to immigration officials when they landed in Jaipur.