Dr SP Singh Oberoi extends Rs 2 lakh aid to help Tarn Taran youth stranded in Qatar return home
Babushahi Bureau
Amritsar (Punjab), May 18, 2026: Prominent Dubai-based businessman and philanthropist Dr. S.P. Singh Oberoi has stepped forward to help a youth from Punjab’s Tarn Taran district who has been stranded in Doha, Qatar after being fined in connection with a fatal building collapse case.
Dr Oberoi, patron of the Sarbat Da Bhala Charitable Trust, provided financial assistance of Rs 2 lakh to the family of Gurdev Singh, a resident of village Jawanda Kalan in Tarn Taran district.
Sharing details, Dr Oberoi said Gurdev Singh had gone to Doha for labour work and was employed at an under-construction building that collapsed in February last year. During the incident, a Pakistani worker reportedly died after being trapped under the debris.
Following court proceedings in Qatar, Gurdev Singh and two other workers — identified as Mohammad Khalil and Sikandar Azam — were held responsible and ordered to pay “blood money” compensation amounting to nearly Rs 50 lakh in Indian currency. Gurdev Singh’s share of the penalty was reportedly around Rs 17-18 lakh.
Although Gurdev Singh was later released from jail, restrictions were imposed on his return to India until the financial penalty was cleared.
Dr Oberoi said a major portion of the amount had already been collected with support from villagers and friends of Gurdev Singh living in Qatar. The remaining Rs 2 lakh required to complete the payment was handed over to Gurdev Singh’s wife, Nirmal Kaur, in the presence of trust members and office bearers.
The assistance is expected to help complete the legal formalities and facilitate Gurdev Singh’s return to India to reunite with his family.
An emotional Nirmal Kaur thanked Dr Oberoi for the support, saying the help had given hope to her family and would allow her two young daughters to finally meet their father again after a long separation.