Family of Kozhikode man jailed in Saudi races against time to raise Rs 33 cr

Kozhikode: For 18 years, Abdul Rahim Machilakath Peediyekkal, a native of Kodampuzha, Feroke in Kozhikode has been languishing in jail after being sentenced to death in a murder case in Saudi Arabia. He has a window of hope, which is fast closing. His family needs to raise blood money- 15 million Saudi Riyal, which is equivalent to Rs 33.24 crore. An action committee has been raising money for the man through crowdfunding and a mobile app SAVEABDULRAHIM (Google Play & Apple Store links at the bottom).

Abdul Rahim was an auto driver in Feroke. In search of better luck abroad, he left for Saudi Arabia in 2006 where joined as a driver in Riyadh. He had to take care of a differently-abled boy in the family. Once, when he was driving the car with the boy, a device which supported him to breathe accidentally fell inside the car. The boy went unconscious and died. Even though it was unintentional, Rahim was booked for murder and sentenced to death as per Saudi law.

The death sentence came in 2018, then the appeal court upheld the verdict in 2022, which has been ratified by the Supreme Court. At present the court has stayed the execution of the verdict for a limited period as the deceased boy's family has agreed to accept diya (blood money).

As per the agreement with the family of the deceased, the amount must be paid within six months from the date of the deal which was signed on October 16, 2023.

" Only a few days are left to collect this huge amount. We are trying our best to collect money from India and abroad. Hopefully, our prayers will be answered during the holy month," said Rahim's nephew Mohammed Jawad.

'It's a big task to collect the amount within a short period. There were many kinds of delays in communication and our planning. Abdul Rahim is the son of late Machilakath Peediyekkal Mohammed Kutty and Fathima. Muhammed Kutty died of physical ailments. Now Fathima's only hope is the generosity of people all over the world. " I want to meet my son as early as possible," she said.
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