Abdul Rahim A Free Man, Riyadh Court Orders; To Be Released Soon

The life of Abdul Rahim, the Kerala native who was languishing in a Saudi prison on a death row for many years after an alleged murder charge over the death of differently abled local boy, has been saved now. The sentence of Abdul Rahim, a resident of Kotompuzha, Kozhikode, according to reports, has been cancelled today after a check of one and a half crore Riyals (approximately more than 34 crore rupees) was handed over to the representative of the family of the murdered Saudi boy through the embassy. It is expected that the court will consider the procedures including release from prison in the coming days. The officials of Riyad Rahim Sahaya Samiti informed Madhyamam daily that the order came today as a relief.

Before this, in April this year, after several efforts to collect funds to pay as blood money for the release of Abdul Rahim, many people from the several walk of life came together to collect over Rs 34 crore three days ahead of the deadline, that was set by the Saudi court.

Friends and family of Abdul Rahim had been making efforts to collect the huge amount before his execution date of April 16 arrived. A mobile app called ‘SAVE ABDUL RAHIM’ was set up to collect the amount.

To collect this hefty amount, solidarity and support poured in from people across Kerala, and several people from all religions joined in on the crowdfunding initiative. Many people gathered at Abdul Rahim’s house to donate their share of money, as seen in a now viral video. Malayalees in Riyadh also gave a helping hand by conducting a Biryani challenge to raise funds for the cause, reported Onmanorama.

Rahim was produced in the Riyadh Criminal Court in the morning virtually. Lawyers from both sides were present in the court. Indian embassy official Yusuf Kakancheri and Rahim’s family’s power of attorney Siddique Tuvvoor also appeared in court with Rahim.

The order canceling the death sentence was signed after the court examined all the documents.

What happened with Abdul Raheem

As per reports, Abdul Rahim who used to work as an auto rickshaw driver in Kerala’s Feroke, went to Gulf in search of better pastures. In 2006, he joined as a house driver in Riyadh. Taking care of a differently-abled boy in the family was one of his duties.

As per reports, a device which supported the boy to breathe accidentally fell inside the car when Abdul Rahim was driving the car with the boy. Later, the boy went unconscious and died inside the vehicle. Eventually, during the trial, Abdul Rahim was booked for murder and sentenced to death as per the local law.

In October 2023, the family of the boy has agreed for a Diya, the financial compensation paid to the victim or heirs of a victim in the cases of murder, bodily harm or property damage by mistake, that needs to be paid in six months period.