A truck driver from Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand, has spent years trapped in a legal and financial nightmare in Saudi Arabia — held in what his family describes as a hostage-like situation, unable to come home, while a debt that is not his to pay looms over his life. Now, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has formally escalated the case to the highest diplomatic level, writing to Union External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar on Wednesday, 12 August 2026, demanding immediate central government intervention for the safe repatriation of Indramani Nautiyal.

Six Years Abroad, One Accident, a Debt of Rs 2.29 Crore

Indramani Nautiyal, son of Devī Ram Nautiyal and a resident of Uttarkashi, left for Saudi Arabia in 2018 in search of employment. He found work as a truck driver with Pikak Roads and Contracting Company, Riyadh. That same year, a serious road accident changed everything. Saudi Arabia's judicial process held Nautiyal to one year of imprisonment and, separately, imposed a fine of 9 lakh Saudi Riyals — approximately Rs 2.29 crore — on the company owner for deficiencies in the truck's insurance and registration.

Years have passed. The company owner has not paid the fine. According to the post, Nautiyal is allegedly being kept in a hostage-like condition and pressured to arrange payment of the penalty himself — a sum he has no means to produce. His wife and daughter have appealed at multiple levels for his return, but have received no effective support. The family, by the CM's own account, is enduring severe mental and financial distress.

Dhami's Letter: Legal Aid, Financial Support, and Safe Return

In his letter to Dr. Jaishankar, CM Dhami has made three specific requests: that Nautiyal be freed from his captive-like situation, that necessary judicial and financial assistance be extended to him, and that relevant officials be directed immediately to ensure his safe return to India. The Chief Minister has urged the Ministry of External Affairs to approach the matter with a humanitarian lens and intervene effectively through diplomatic channels.

Dhami also stated that the Uttarakhand state government will make every possible effort to assist any Uttarakhand citizen stranded in difficult circumstances abroad — framing this not as an isolated intervention but as a standing commitment of his administration.

A Familiar Crisis in the Gulf Labour Corridor

Nautiyal's predicament is not an anomaly. India is home to one of the world's largest expatriate workforces in the Gulf, and employer disputes, legal entanglements, and debt bondage remain recurring hazards for migrant workers — particularly those in the construction, logistics, and domestic-service sectors. The Ministry of External Affairs operates the MADAD portal, a consular grievance mechanism for Indians in distress abroad, and maintains bilateral labor and consular frameworks with Saudi Arabia. State governments routinely escalate individual cases to New Delhi for coordinated diplomatic action — but the pace of resolution often depends on how loudly the case is raised and at what level.

By writing directly to the External Affairs Minister, CM Dhami has bypassed routine channels and placed the case squarely on the diplomatic agenda. The ball is now in South Block's court.

For a family in Uttarkashi waiting for their husband and father to walk through the door, the letter is the first credible sign that the state is fighting for him. Whether it translates into action — and how fast — is the only question that matters now.