‘We are Trying our Best to bring back Shanker Poojary’ – Mubarak

‘We are Trying our Best to bring back Shanker Poojary’ – Mubarak

Udupi: “We have not done anything purposely to fix Shanker Poojary resident of Basrur by sending banned Ultracet tablets with him. We are also trying our level best to bring Shanker Poojary back from Kuwait jail. Some Associations have threatened me to give Rs 1.5 lakh but being a poor driver how can I afford that much money. So now the Association leaders are posting false messages in the social media”, said Mubarak who was responsible for the arrest of Shanker Poojary in Kuwait in a press meet held at the press Club Udupi here  on September 1.

Addressing the mediapersons Mubarak said, “personally I don’t have any contact with Shanker Poojary, my mother-in- law Thasleem Fathima who is working in Kuwait knew Shanker Poojary and had requested him to bring her the tablets from India. Shanker Poojary had agreed to bring the tablets and contacted me. He had asked me to deliver the tablets to his house in Basrur.”

Mubarak further said, “I had purchased 210 Ultracet tablets from the Radha Medical Shop in Udupi. On 10 June 2018, I had produced a copy of the bill from the medical shop and given the packet of medicines along with the prescription and bill to Shanker Poojary. At the same time, I had also given a packet of sweets prepared at our home. Unfortunately, Shanker Poojary forgot to take bills and prescription with the tablets. On June 13 officials at the Kuwait airport found the tablets in Shanker Poojary’s bag without any papers for its use arrested him. After 20 days we came to know that Shanker Poojary was arrested in Kuwait”.

Mubarak also said, “After Shanker Poojary’s arrest, his wife filed a complaint in the Kundapur Police station against me. The Kundapur Police interrogated me and suggested to take the help of Gopal who was active in politics. Thereafter Gopal and our family contacted MP of Udupi Shobha Karandlaje and MP of DK Nalin Kumar Kateel. They too contacted the external affairs minister as well as the Indian embassy in Kuwait and sent the necessary papers related to the tablets. We are also trying our best at every level to release Shanker Poojary from the Kuwait Jail and my mother-in-law Thasleem Fathima is trying from her side in Kuwait”.

Reacting on the allegation by Shanker Poojary’s wife that I had placed the tablets inside a box of sweets and given it to him is far from the truth. The packet of tablets and the packet of sweets were given separately and both were given to Shanker Poojary with his full knowledge. We were also not aware that the Ultracet tablets were banned in Kuwait. The president of a Kannada Association has been giving false statements in various media against our family. Our main intention is the release of Shanker Poojary. We all working towards that and will continue our struggle for the release of Shanker Poojary from Kuwait Jail, he said.