Prison chief kisses head of free prisoner

A Saudi prison chief became the talk of town in the Gulf Kingdom after he was seen in a picture kissing the head of a Bangladeshi prisoner upon his release,

Mohammed Ali Akbar, 50, had been sentenced to prison for involvement in a road accident that resulted in the death of another man.

The man had sold his farm in Bangladesh and left his wife and three children to fulfill his dream of working as a taxi driver in the holy Saudi city of Makkah.

While in prison, he was reputed for his good behavior and piety and managed to persuade many inmates to pray before he became muazzen (prayers caller).

"Akbar was released this week after a charity group in Saudi Arabia paid SR300,000 (Dh300,000) diya for the victim's relatives," Sada newspaper said.

"Upon his release, he was given a good farewell by the prison guards…but the most touching one was by head of the religious affairs at the prison, Captain Fahd Al Otaibi, who hugged Akbar and kissed his head…viewers of the picture on Facebook commended Otaibi for his humanitarian gesture."

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