Tears of joy in Kozhikode: Abdul Rahim returns home on Eid after 20 years in Saudi prison

KOZHIKODE: In a deeply emotional homecoming, Kozhikode native Abdul Rahim returned to his motherland on the auspicious occasion of Eid al-Adha (Bakrid), following a grueling 20-year incarceration in Saudi Arabia. Rahim, a resident of Kodampuzha in Ramanattukara, landed at the Calicut International Airport in Karipur early in the morning via an Air India flight from Riyadh.

An emotional crowd comprising family members, close friends, well-wishing locals, members of the Rahim Action Council, and prominent businessman-philanthropist Boby Chemmanur gathered at the terminal to accord him a warm reception.

Rahim’s legal ordeal began in November 2006 when he was arrested in connection with the tragic death of his Saudi sponsor’s disabled son. Rahim, who was employed as a driver and caretaker, had accidentally dislodged the boy’s life-support apparatus during a struggle. While investigations ultimately established that the fatality was accidental and unintentional, a Saudi court sentenced Rahim to death in 2012.

The capital punishment was successfully averted following a historic humanitarian intervention. In a massive global crowdfunding campaign driven primarily by the Malayali diaspora and coordinated by the Action Council, an unprecedented sum of 15 million Saudi Riyals (approximately ₹34 crore) was raised as 'blood money' (Diyya) to secure a pardon from the victim's family.

Following the commutation of his death sentence, Rahim was required to serve a mandatory 20-year prison term under Saudi public law for the remaining charges. Having officially completed his sentence on May 19, Rahim's return marks the definitive end to a two-decade-long legal saga.