Feb. 2013

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I am God’s accountant, says man who saved 17 men from gallows

Navjeevan Gopal : Amritsar, Fri Feb 15 2013, 02:35 hrs

Dubai-based businessman and hotelier S P Singh Oberoi, who was instrumental in recently securing the release of 17 men convicted by a Sharjah court for the murder of a Pakistani national in UAE, is not new to paying blood money to save people from gallows.
In the last few years, while Oberoi had saved the lives of 37 people from Pakistan, Bangladesh, Philippines and India, he is now fighting for the release of four Nepali nationals. Till date, he claims to have saved 54 lives.
"Though I am a Punjabi by birth, I have never discriminated when it comes to saving lives. Among those I saved from going to the gallows are Pakistanis," Oberoi, who was born in Nangal (then in Himachal Pradesh) on April 13, 1956, said. "There were two Pakistani nationals I saved from death last year in a murder case. They, along with eight Punjabis, had no means to pay the blood money," he added.
A diploma holder in mechanical engineering, Oberoi worked at the Pandoh Dam in 1976 at a monthly salary of Rs 392. "My father was upset with me for not pursuing higher studies. But I was adamant. I decided to leave home with Rs 250 in my pocket and my father gave me another Rs 1,000," Oberoi said, adding that he worked at Pandoh Dam for about a year before shifting to Salal Dam in Rajouri for the next six months.
Following this, he went to Dubai and worked as a mechanic for three years. He returned to India only to go back to Dubai again in 1993, where he started a business of spare parts and hydraulic equipment. In 1996, he ventured into construction and diversified into hotel business in 1998. In 2004, he entered the real estate business.
"I consider myself an accountant of God and issue cheques as per God's will to secure the release of people," Oberoi said, adding that he never suffered any financial loss. "Within days, God gave me 10 times more than I spent," he said.
"I feel that my initial salary of Rs 392 was my own. The rest belongs to God," Oberoi said, adding that his family had never objected to him paying blood money for getting people released.
Now, sarpanchs of the villages of the 17 men who returned to India on February 12, after Oberoi paid blood money for their release, want to honour him. "Sometimes I cry because they are so thankful to me. They want to honour me and I will join them," said Oberoi.
"I have no grudges that the government does not recognise my efforts. What matters to me is how the families reacted when these youth reached home safe," he added.