Abdul Rahim, who had been facing a death sentence in Saudi Arabia and was eventually freed after blood money amounting to Rs 34 crore was raised through a massive crowdfunding campaign, returned to his home state of Kerala on Thursday after spending nearly two decades in prison in the Gulf country.
Rahim arrived at the Karipur International Airport near Kozhikode to an emotional welcome from relatives, friends and well-wishers who had gathered in large numbers to receive him after his long-awaited return.
As he stepped out of the airport, Rahim was escorted by his family members while visibly overwhelmed with emotion. Tears rolled down his face as he greeted the crowd and acknowledged the people who had supported him during the difficult years of his imprisonment. Businessman Bobby Chemmanur, who was present at the airport to welcome him, embraced Rahim warmly. Rahim waved at the gathering and media personnel waiting outside and showed a thumbs-up sign before leaving for his hometown.
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“I am grateful to everyone who stood by me and helped me,” Rahim told reporters before leaving the airport to reunite with his mother, who had waited nearly 20 years for her son’s return from Saudi Arabia, where he had travelled for work in 2006.
At Rahim’s residence, an atmosphere of celebration prevailed as relatives, neighbours and friends gathered in large numbers to welcome him home. His return coinciding with the Bakrid festival further added to the joy among locals.
“This makes our Bakrid celebrations even more special and emotional,” some local residents told reporters while waiting for Rahim to arrive. As he reached home, Rahim embraced his mother at the entrance amid loud cheers and emotional scenes from the gathered crowd. Unable to control his emotions, he broke down in tears and stood silently for a few moments before interacting with the media.
He then hugged and kissed his mother again as both of them wept with happiness after the long separation. “I sincerely thank everyone who contributed and made it possible for me to see my mother again,” Rahim said emotionally. He also greeted and embraced relatives and friends who had assembled at his home.
Rahim had spent almost two decades behind bars in Saudi Arabia in connection with the death of a Saudi boy in 2006. He narrowly escaped execution after people across Kerala united to raise nearly Rs 34 crore within just four days before the April 18, 2024 deadline set for payment of blood money.
For Rahim, a native of Kozhikode district, paying the blood money of 15 million Saudi Riyals—equivalent to around Rs 34 crore—was the only way to avoid the death sentence and secure his release.
He was imprisoned in 2006 after allegedly causing the accidental death of a specially-abled Saudi boy under his care. In 2018, a Saudi court awarded him the death sentence after the victim’s family initially refused to grant him amnesty. The extraordinary crowdfunding effort launched in Kerala eventually helped secure his release, with thousands of people contributing to save his life and bring him back home after nearly 20 years.
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