Kozhikode: Miracles do happen once in a while. Ask Abdul Raheem, from Kerala’s Kozhikode.
He returned home on Thursday after spending two decades in a prison in Saudi Arabia, where he was on death row!
Raheem’s flight departed from Riyadh in the early hours of Thursday, the official X account of India in Saudi Arabia confirmed.
A large crowd turned up at the airport to receive Raheem when landed at Kozhikode’s Karipur airport later in the day.
As he reached home, Rahim hugged his mother on the doorstep as his family, friends and local residents cheered and chanted his name. Tears streamed down an emotional Raheem’s face as he repeatedly kissed and hugged his mother, PTI reported.
“I am thankful to everyone who helped me and made it possible for me to see my mother again,” Raheem said referring to the efforts of the local community to crowdfund a staggering amount of Rs 34 crore for the blood money.
What had happened
Raheem, who went to the Gulf to make good money, reached Saudi Arabia in 2006, started off as an auto driver.
Some months later, he got a job as a personal driver-cum-caretaker of a 15-year-old physically challenged boy, who had a medical ailment where he breathed through an external device connected to his body.
One day, the boy allegedly misbehaved with him while he was driving, according to Raheem. As he was trying to quieten the teenager, his hand accidentally touched the external medical device. It got disconnected, leading to the boy’s death.
Raheem was arrested and put behind bars. In 2018, a court convicted him of murder and sentenced him to death when the victim’s family refused to grant him amnesty.
The appeal court upheld that verdict in 2022, and it was then confirmed by the country’s Supreme Court.
His only chance of survival was to pay Rs 34 crore in blood money before the deadline of April 18, 2024.
The family then launched the mission to collect this huge sum of money. And they succeeded with the help of several well-wishers and kind-hearted people.
“Shri Abdul Raheem, who was facing a death sentence, has been pardoned and released after spending 20 years in prison. Throughout this period, the Embassy consistently pursued his case with Saudi authorities and regularly monitored his well-being. Members of the Indian community also extended remarkable support through a crowdfunding campaign,” India in Saudi Arabia wrote on X.
“We express our sincere gratitude to the concerned Saudi authorities for their cooperation, and to the Indian community for their unwavering support, solidarity and faith in the judicial process. The Embassy extends its warmest wishes to Shri Abdul Raheem and his family.”
After two decades away from home, Shri Abdul Raheem is finally returning to his family in Kozhikode, Kerala. His flight to India left moments ago.
Shri Abdul Raheem, who was facing a death sentence, has been pardoned and released after spending 20 years in prison. Throughout… pic.twitter.com/BvwqyiqzVY
— India in Saudi Arabia (@IndianEmbRiyadh) May 27, 2026
