KOZHIKODE: The arrival gate at Karipur airport turned into a scene of overwhelming emotion on Thursday morning as Abdul Rahim, a Malayali man who spent almost two decades inside a Saudi Arabian prison, finally stepped back onto Kerala soil.
As the Air India Express flight from Riyadh touched down shortly after dawn, hundreds gathered outside the airport carrying prayers, tears and hope. Family members who had lived through years of uncertainty stood frozen for a moment before embracing the man they feared they might never see again.
When Abdul Rahim walked out of the terminal around 8 am, he struggled to contain his emotions. His eyes filled with tears as cameras flashed and supporters chanted prayers for him. Unable to speak for several seconds, he folded his hands before the crowd and thanked everyone who stood beside his family during the darkest chapter of their lives.
“I survived because people I have never even met prayed for me and fought for me,” Rahim said emotionally. “Kerala gave me another life.”
According to sources associated with the legal aid team, Saudi prison authorities personally escorted Rahim to the airport and ensured that all remaining procedures, including immigration and travel clearance, were completed before his departure late Wednesday night.
Although his prison sentence formally concluded on May 19, the final release process experienced a brief delay due to Eid and Haj-related administrative duties in Saudi Arabia. Later, authorities reportedly cleared the remaining procedures under urgent special provisions, allowing his long-awaited journey home.
At Zeeyath Manzil, Rahim’s family home, the atmosphere resembled both a festival and a reunion after unimaginable loss. Relatives, neighbours and supporters crowded the narrow lanes leading to the house, waiting for the moment Abdul Rahim would return after nearly twenty years away.
For his 77-year-old mother Fathima, this Bakrid carried a meaning beyond celebration.
“For years I prayed only for one thing — to see my son once again before my last breath,” she said, wiping away tears while surrounded by relatives. “Every day felt endless. Today Allah has returned my child to me.”
Her voice trembled as she described the years of loneliness, uncertainty and public attention surrounding the case. She recalled visiting Rahim in prison two years ago, a meeting that left permanent scars on the family.
“When I first went to see him, he refused to come before me,” Fathima said. “He could not bear to let his mother see him inside a prison. Later he came, and we both cried without words.”
Rahim’s brother Nazeer said the family never gave up hope despite the emotional and financial burden that followed them for years.
“There were moments when we thought everything was over,” Nazeer said. “But people across the world stood with us like family. This homecoming belongs not only to us but to every person who prayed, donated and believed he should return alive.”
The case had drawn global attention after Abdul Rahim was sentenced in connection with the accidental death of a disabled Saudi teenager under his care in 2006. His fate changed after Malayalees across the world united to support the legal battle and raise the massive blood money demanded in the case.
The Rahim Legal Aid Committee collected nearly Rs 47.87 crore through close to nine lakh contributions from ordinary people, expatriates, workers and students. A major portion of the amount was used for compensation payments and legal expenses that ultimately paved the way for his release.
Rahim’s journey home began from Riyadh late Wednesday night. He boarded an Air India Express flight shortly before midnight Saudi time and landed at Calicut International Airport early Thursday morning.
