Wrongly convicted Thane man set free after spending 28 months in Greek jail

Kalpesh Shinde has an emotional reunion with his mother Pallavi at Mumbai airport PicsAtul KambleWhen Kalpesh Shinde 24 set off on his very first journey as a sailor it was with dreams of a life of freedom on the high seas Instead what he got was a sea of tears as he languished in a Greece jail for 28 months after being falsely accused of smuggling weapons for ISIS After more than two years of fighting for justice the nightmare finally ended yesterday as Shinde walked out of Mumbai airport a free man and was reunited with his familyKalpesh Shinde with his dad RajendraA tearyeyed Kalpesh strode out of the arrivals gate of the airport and walked straight into the arms of his anxious parents Rajendra and Pallavi Even as he clung to them he recounted the nightmarish ordeal he suffered in Greece over the last couple of years He told midday I would never wish such horror on anyone Life in jail was as bad as they show in the movies I just want to forget about all the hardcore criminals thereKalpesh Shinde strode out of the arrivals gate of the airport and walked straight into the arms of his parents Rajendra and PallaviFirst time unluckyKalpesh a Thane resident with a diploma in mechanical engineering had always dreamt of life at sea After a 16month course he got a job as a seafarer on the cargo ship Haddad 1 On June 7 2015 as he embarked on his maiden journey Kalpesh bid farewell to his family never imagining that it would be years before he would see them againThe ship first sailed to Cyprus and then to Libya Egypt and Turkey before finally returning to Libya But before they could complete the journey on August 29 2015 the Greece Coast Guard raided the ship and detained the entire crew onboard The ship was supposed to be carrying plastic furniture but the officers found weapons in the onboard containers instead They found 5 lakh rounds of ammunition onboard along with 5000 rifles They also found 4900 cartons of cigarettesThe Coast Guard had acted on a tipoff from an informant who had also told them that the arms were being trafficked to the terror outfit ISIS in Libya Seven people were detained including the captain of the ship During their five days in police custody Kalpesh and another Indian crewmember Jignesh Sundar Raj 26 pleaded that they were innocent but the authorities paid no mind On October 3 2015 they were locked up in Korydallos Jail where they would remain for the next 28 monthsNo voice or moneyKalpesh was accused of trafficking weapons to a terrorist organisation and was convicted and sentenced to 15 years of rigorous punishment Meanwhile back in Thane Kalpeshs family had broken down on hearing the heard dreadful news Kalpeshs father Rajendra and his uncle Rajesh Kadam turned to the Forward Seamens Union of India FSUI for help and began knocking on the door of every possible government agency that could set Kalpesh freeIn March 2016 Kalpesh appealed against his conviction at a higher court and with the help of the Indian government and the FSUI he was finally proved innocent on February 5 The process was a long and uphill battle and one that cost the family dearly Kalpesh was the familys main breadwinner bringing in Rs 24000 a month With his income having dried up the family had to rely on his fathers humble earnings as a driver They burned through most of their savings spending approximately R10 lakh in their fight for justiceKalpeshs uncle recalled From the time he was arrested and convicted in 2015 we had a long fight until the court cleared Kalpesh and Jignesh of the charges During this period I visited Delhi many times to meet government officials I also tried to speak to Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj over the phone Unfortunately she had been hospitalised but she promised that the Indian Embassy would help us FSUI also helped us in every possible way and even arranged for three advocates to fight for usKalpesh said I was proved innocent because I was innocent It was a terrible experience but since we are Indian we were treated with respect in prison The Indian Embassy was a great help with the money they sent us we would buy phone cards to stay in touch with our familyStill wants to be a sailorDespite the horrific ordeal somehow Kalpeshs passion for the sea has still not dimmed I can never forget what happened to me but this experience has not altered my passion to become a Merchant Navy officer If my family grants me permission I would want to join a Merchant Navy shipping company and sail into the sea again At this point his mother Pallavi cut in I would never want to send my son back to such a place where he had to go through such horrorsA second later though she conceded We will respect Kalpeshs passion and happiness We will collectively decide his future For now Kalpeshs family is just relieved that he is finally back From the airport they went straight to Siddhivinayak temple to give thanks followed by a reunion with the extended family at Kalpeshs uncles home in Worli Were happy Were thinking of going on a vacation in April somewhere outside Maharashtra said his mother beamingGive them compensationManoj Yadav the general secretary of the Forward Seamens Union of India FSUI said We are happy that our struggle of twoandahalf years have paid off We will continue to fight for the justice and security of our seafarers But my question to the government is why did these boys get arrested for a crime they never committed Kalpeshs family saw a major financial crisis during this fight and Greece and Indian governments should compensate them28 No of months Kalpesh was jailed in Greece15 No of years he was sentenced to serveRs 10 lakh Familys approximate expenses in the fight for justice5 Lakh Rounds of ammunition found5k No of rifles found on the ship49k No of cigarette cartons found15 No of years Kalpesh was sentenced to serve in jail28 No of months he was jailed24k His monthly salaryAlso read 25yearold MBA student robs paan shop for late night cigarette fixCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news current affairs from Mumbai local news crime news and breaking headlines hereDownload the new midday Android and iOS apps to get updates on all the latest and trending stories on the go