After 20 years in Saudi prison, Abdul Rahim finally returns home to his mother in Kerala

Kozhikode woke up to an emotional homecoming on Thursday as Abdul Rahim, the Kerala man who spent nearly two decades in a Saudi Arabian prison, finally returned home and embraced his mother after years of uncertainty, legal battles and global prayer campaigns.

The 46-year-old landed at Karipur International Airport near Kozhikode around 7.30 am on an Air India Express flight from Riyadh. Waiting outside were family members, neighbours and supporters who had followed his case for years, many of them breaking down as Rahim walked out of the airport visibly overwhelmed.

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Rahim’s return marks the end of one of the most widely followed humanitarian campaigns among the Malayali diaspora, with people across the world contributing to save him from the death sentence handed down by a Saudi court more than a decade ago.

“I’m thankful to each and every one who made this possible,” Rahim said, struggling to hold back tears as he greeted people with folded hands.

The most emotional scenes unfolded later at his ancestral home in Kodampuzha in Farook, where his elderly mother, Fathima, finally got to see her son return home after 20 years. For years, she had publicly spoken about her wish to see him once again in her lifetime.

Neighbours and well-wishers gathered outside the family home as Rahim arrived, with many describing the moment as one they had waited years to witness.

How Abdul Rahim’s Saudi Arabia ordeal began

Rahim had travelled to Saudi Arabia in November 2006 on a house driver visa when he was 26, hoping to support his financially struggling family back home in Kerala.

Soon after reaching Riyadh, he was assigned to care for Anas Al Fayis, the differently abled son of a Saudi family.

According to reports from the time, the tube connected to the teenager’s life-support system became disconnected during a car journey after Rahim’s hand allegedly touched it accidentally. The 15-year-old boy died of suffocation moments later.

Rahim consistently maintained that the incident was accidental and denied any intentional wrongdoing. However, he was arrested in December 2006 and was later sentenced to death by a Saudi court in 2012.

Rs 34 crore campaign that changed Abdul Rahim’s fate

Over the years, Rahim’s case triggered a massive fundraising and legal support campaign among Malayalis across the world.

After prolonged negotiations, the victim’s family agreed to pardon him in exchange for blood money. The Abdul Rahim Legal Assistance Committee then raised around Rs 34 crore through contributions from Malayalis globally.

The campaign became one of the biggest community-led humanitarian efforts linked to a Malayali prisoner abroad.

In July 2024, Rahim’s death sentence was officially cancelled. But despite escaping execution, he remained in prison as he still had to complete a 20-year sentence under Saudi public rights law.

That prison term ended this week, clearing the way for his return to India.

A year earlier, Rahim’s mother had travelled to Saudi Arabia and met him briefly in jail for around 45 minutes, a meeting that had drawn widespread attention and sympathy in Kerala.

On Thursday, that long wait finally came to an end as Rahim returned home not just as a freed prisoner, but as a man carrying the weight of two lost decades and the gratitude of a community that stood by him.