THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A 47-year-old man from Thumba, on the outskirts of Thiruvananthapuram city, was shot dead on the Jordanian border while trying to sneak into Israel.
Thomas Gabriel Perera, a resident of Rajiv Gandhi Nagar, was reportedly shot in the head by Jordanian army while trying to enter Israel through Karkak district. His friend and relative, Edison, who was accompanying him on the arduous journey, sustained gunshot wounds to the leg. He was provided medical treatment by the Jordanian army and repatriated to India.
Thomas worked in Kuwait for a few years before returning home, where he dabbled in fishing and later as a driver to earn a living, family sources said.
According to relatives, Thomas had financial issues, which forced his to take the decision to move to Israel.
“He and Edison travelled to Jordan on a tourist visa with two other people. The group left for Jordan on a three-month tourist visa on February 5. Thomas was in touch with his wife Christeena till February 9. A communique from the Indian embassy in Amman said he was killed on February 10,” a relative said.
Jordan shares a long border with Israel, which till recently was engaged in a war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Following several attempts by sympathisers of Palestinian outfits in Jordan to infiltrate Israel to carry out attacks, armies of the two countries have been maintaining high alert along the border.