Emotional scenes as Abdul Rahim arrives home in Kerala after serving 20-year jail term in Saudi

Emotional scenes unfolded astatine the residence of Abdul Rahim astatine Kodampuzha adjacent Feroke successful Kozhikode territory of Kerala connected Thursday (May 28, 2026) greeting arsenic helium yet arrived location aft serving a 20-year jailhouse word successful Saudi Arabia.

A ample fig of people, including section residents, his household members and neighbours, had gathered to greet him. The juncture besides marked the observance of Id-ul-Adha. News transmission cameramen jostled for abstraction astatine the frontyard of the location erstwhile his mother, Fathima, came retired and hugged him. Overcome with emotions, a sobbing Mr. Rahim was astatine a nonaccomplishment for words for a while. He was aboriginal seen waving to the assemblage extracurricular who were not deterred by the airy drizzle.

Functionaries of the Abdul Rahim Legal Assistance Committee said that helium arrived by an Air India Express formation that took disconnected from the Riyadh airdrome successful Saudi Arabia astatine 11.55 p.m. He arrived astatine the Calicut International Airport by astir 8 a.m. They said the jailhouse authorities had taken him to the airdrome and completed the migration formalities. Mr. Rahim was accompanied by his powerfulness of lawyer Siddique Thuvvur and different household members.

Expresses gratitude

Addressing the media later, Mr. Rahim thanked each those who stood with him, including officials astatine the Indian Embassy astatine Riyadh, functionaries of the ineligible assistance committee, and the Malayali diaspora.

His 20-year-jail word had ended connected the midnight of May 19. Mr. Rahim was imprisoned and sentenced to decease successful 2006 for the execution of the 14-year-old otherwise abled lad of his employer. Though Mr. Rahim claimed it was an accident, his employer’s arguments carried much ineligible weight.

Turning constituent successful case

A turning constituent successful the lawsuit happened erstwhile the Malayali diaspora managed to rise ₹35 crore, the humor wealth the victim’s household had demanded, successful May 2024. The victim’s household aboriginal agreed to cancel the decease condemnation aft receiving the money. The Saudi tribunal successful July 2024 revoked the decease sentence. However, the Riyadh Criminal Court successful May 2025 sentenced him to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment nether the Public Rights Act. That word ended recently.