Kozhikode: In one of the biggest humanitarian drives in Kerala, a group of people here raised Rs 34 crore for the release of Kozhikode native Abdul Rahim, who has been serving his time on death row in Saudi Arabia's jail for the past 18 years.
The action committee has raised the whole amount for Rahim's release three days ahead of execution. The representatives of the committee announced the achievement at a press conference here on Friday.
"This is Kerala's real story,” said a member of the committee expressing gratitude for all who took part in the crowdfunding. Apart from Keralites, Malayalis in Riyadh organised a Biriyani challenge to raise the funds that would be paid as blood money for Rahim's release.
The action committee had launched a mobile app 'SAVEABDULRAHIM' for crowdfunding. Apart from the app, a huge number of people contacted the action committee directly to contribute to the good deed.
As per reports, Rs 24 crore was raised within four days. More people are flowing to Rahim's house which is acting as the office of the crowdfunding. After successfully raising the required amount, the committee appealed to the people to stop donations.
The story of Abdul Raheem
Raheem, a former auto driver from Feroke in Kozhikode, ventured to Saudi Arabia in 2006 seeking better prospects. There, he was employed as a house-driver in Riyadh, where part of his duties included caring for a differently-abled 15-year-old boy within the household.
A fateful incident unfolded when Rahim was driving with the boy one day. At a traffic signal, the boy urged Rahim to move the car forward ignoring the red light. When he refused, the situation escalated as the boy began spitting and beating him. During the altercation, Rahim unintentionally touched a medical device attached to the boy's shoulder. The device, which helped the boy to breathe, fell inside the car. The boy eventually went unconscious and died.
The death sentence came in 2018 under the Saudi law for murder, after the boy’s family refused to grant amnesty. The appeal court upheld this verdict in 2022, a decision later confirmed by the country's Supreme Court.
Currently, the execution of Rahim's sentence has been temporarily halted by the court, following an agreement with the deceased boy's family to accept diya (blood money) instead. The agreed amount is 15 million Saudi riyals, approximately Rs 33.24 crore, which must be paid within six months from the deal's signing on October 16, 2023.