An Indian man who ran across a runway at Sharjah International Airport in a bid to board a flight to his home country is now facing trial in the UAE, Khaleej Times reported. 

The reason behind the 26-year-old man's stunt? He wanted to fly back home to India to meet his fiancée but couldn't because his employer had illegally confiscated his passport. 

At a hearing in the case, recently held at a Sharjah court, the defendant, now identified as R. K., shared details of the incident. 

He explained that on the day he was arrested, he sneaked into the runway area at Sharjah's International Airport, in an attempt to board a plane to India even though he had no ticket or passport on him. 

As he tried to cross the runway, he was spotted by a luggage loader who reported him to authorities. He was arrested minutes after the incident but was later released on bail and is now undergoing trial. 

The man said that since his passport was already being held by his company, he took a chance knowing that if his plan failed, he'd be caught by authorities who'll eventually return his passport and deport him. 

Speaking to Khaleej Times, legal consultant Hasan Elhais explained that if found guilty, the defendant may be jailed for up to five years and fined 100,000 dirhams ($27,200).

The defendant says he has no regrets over his actions

Speaking to Khaleej Times, R. K. said he had no regrets over his actions and accepts the fact that he now has to face legal consequences.

"I did this act because I wanted to travel back to India to meet my fiancee, whatever the price I have to pay," he said.

The defendant also added that he was desperate to travel back home, in order to convince his parents to grant the couple their blessings for the union.

He explained that he had approached his company over 15 times in a bid to get permission for a visit home, but was turned down time and again. His passport was also kept by the company, something that is illegal under UAE laws. 

According to Khaleej Times, passports can only be held by a UAE-based employer for a limited period of time, usually while they're renewing or canceling an employee's visa. 

Outside of that, withholding travel documents from employees is a clear violation of both international and UAE labor laws.