Saudi king's amnesty: 120 Indians freed from jails

More than 11,000 prisoners, including 120 Indians, held in Saudi Arabian jails for petty crimes, have been released over the last three months under two amnesties declared by King Abdullah.

"As many as 8,570 prisoners have benefitted from the first amnesty declared by the king on June 10," Director General of Prisons Major General Ali ibn Hussein Al-Harithy said.

"The release of prisoners under an amnesty declared in Ramadan would continue until the end of the month. We have already released some who were held for violating private rights," he said.

Some 120 Indian prisoners, who were either working illegally or overstaying in the kingdom, were among the beneficiaries of the amnesty.

More than 20,000 Umrah overstayers, including some Indians, had been detained during the last six months in the Western Province alone.

An Indian embassy official in Dubai said that the mission would seek royal pardon for more Indian workers during Ramadan this year.

"We will ask for royal clemency for more workers this time," he said.

A number of workers, mostly from southern Indian state of Kerala, are in Saudi prisons and deportation centres. They are hopeful that the Indian government will plead for their release this year.

The Saudi government has pardoned over 2,376 Indians in the last five years.

However, the king's amnesty does not pertain to thoseheld for murder, drug trafficking, money laundering, armed robbery and forgery.