As chairman of the Indian Community Welfare Committee (ICWC), Kumar has helped bail out Indians in the UAE who have fallen foul of the law, are mistreated by their employers or who require medical attention.

Kumar’s work began in 1998 when he and his friends raised AED75,000 ($20,400) in blood money funds to get a young Indian involved in an accidental death case off the hook and out of jail.

Since then, he has grouped together with other community leaders to create the ICWC, with the permission of the Indian Embassy in the UAE.

With a team of full-time volunteers, he regularly tours national jails in search of Indian expats requiring help, and has worked on countless cases to aid workers grappling with labour issues, medical bills or who are unable to afford their flight home to India.