We call Arabs as “Arabo” and Indians as “bumbay”. The origin of that word is contested. Some believe that the first Indians that settled in the country came from Bombay (or modern day Mumbai) while some believe that the Sikh’s have this saying “bum bhai” or brothers of the earth. read more
Probably because Arab and Indian facial features are almost the same. You are right, we say "bumbay" for Indians and "arabo" for Arabs. For the first time I did hear someone refer to my hubby as "Bumbay" yesterday when she meant "Arabo" knowing fully where hubby is from. read more