Abdul Rahim, a native of Kodampuzha in Farook, Kozhikode, returned to Kerala on Thursday, 29 May 2025, after spending 20 years in a Saudi Arabian prison — ending an ordeal that had gripped the global Malayali community for two decades. He landed at Karipur International Airport at around 7.30 am on an Air India Express flight from Riyadh, where hundreds of relatives, friends, and well-wishers had gathered to receive him.

The Homecoming

Visibly overwhelmed as he stepped onto Kerala soil for the first time in years, the now 46-year-old stood with folded hands and tears streaming down his face. 'I'm thankful to each and every one who made this possible,' he said, breaking down at the airport.

The most awaited reunion, however, was at the family's ancestral home in Kodampuzha, where his aged mother Fathima had spent two decades waiting for exactly this moment. Her only wish, by all accounts, had been to see her son once more before the end of her life. A year earlier, she had managed a brief 45-minute visit to see him in prison in Saudi Arabia — the only contact between them in years.

How the Ordeal Began

Rahim's nightmare began in November 2006, when the then 26-year-old travelled to Saudi Arabia on a house-driver visa, seeking to support his family back home. Within weeks of arriving in Riyadh, he was assigned to care for Anas Al Fayis, the differently abled son of a Saudi family.

During a car journey, the tube of the boy's life-support system reportedly became disconnected after Rahim's hand accidentally touched it. Anas, aged 15, suffocated to death within moments. Rahim maintained throughout that the incident was accidental and not intentional. He was arrested in December 2006 and subsequently sentenced to death by a Saudi court in 2012.

A Global Fundraising Campaign

What followed was one of the most remarkable humanitarian efforts in the history of the Malayali diaspora. The Abdul Rahim Legal Assistance Committee mobilised Malayalis across the world in a sustained campaign to secure his release. When the victim's family ultimately agreed to pardon Rahim in exchange for blood money, an extraordinary ₹34 crore was raised collectively — a sum that many observers described as a testament to the community's solidarity.

Notably, the death sentence was officially cancelled in July 2024. However, under Saudi public rights law, Rahim was still required to complete his full 20-year prison sentence before he could walk free. That final chapter closed this week.

Two Decades, One Embrace

Abdul Rahim left prison as a middle-aged man, carrying the weight of two lost decades. The scenes at both the airport and his home in Kodampuzha were deeply emotional — a community exhaling after years of collective anxiety. His return closes a chapter that began with a tragic accident and was sustained by an extraordinary act of collective will.

As Rahim settles back into life in Kozhikode, questions about his reintegration and the long-term impact of two decades of incarceration on his health and livelihood will define the next chapter of a story that captivated Malayalis worldwide.