KOZHIKODE: “My son will soon be free. I will prepare his favourite dishes and will be with him to celebrate the next Eid.” Fatima is dreaming big ahead of her son’s release from Saudi prison but it seems that the wait will extend.

Fatima’s smile faded when the court adjourned the release of Kozhikode Farook native Rahim. After visiting her son in Saudi prison on the 11th, it was only on Sunday that she reached back home in Kerala. In place of expected good news on Sunday, what came was a grim one putting Fatima and Rahim’s brother Nazir in tears.

“I have been struggling for a long time. I don’t know whether I will see him again. The last time when I met him in jail, I cried. I gave him tea. He promised to return home in two weeks.” Said Fatima.

The Saudi Court did not pronounce the verdict on his release plea. The court will consider the case again after two weeks. Rahim had been languishing in jail for the last 18 years. Rahim was sentenced to death in 2006 in the murder case of his sponsor Abdurahman Al Shahri’s disabled son Anas Al Shahri. The Riyadh Criminal Court cancelled his death sentence after Anas Al Shahri’s family informed the court of their willingness to grant pardon to Rahim by accepting blood money.

Bobby Chemmannur, who noticed the issue, was at the forefront of collecting relief funds for his release. Malayalees all over the world donated money for his release in 2023. A trust formed for this collected a total amount of more than Rs 47 crore for this purpose. Abdul Rahim was forgiven by the Saudi boy's family after a charity of Rs 34 crore was handed over to them. Now awaiting the order for his release.