Abdul Rahim release order signed

Authorities have signed an order to release Abdul Rahim, a native of Kodampuzha near Feroke in Kozhikode, who is lodged in a jail in Saudi Arabia.

Officials of the Abdul Rahim Legal Aid Committee informed about this on Tuesday, May 26. They said the exit visa process has also been completed and now the immigration procedures need to be completed. He could return home anytime after completing these procedures, they added.

Mr. Rahim’s 20-year prison term ended at midnight on May 19. In 2006, he was imprisoned and sentenced to death for the murder of his employer’s 14-year-old son with various disabilities. Although Mr Rahim claimed it was an accident, his employer’s arguments carried more legal weight.

A breakthrough in the case came when the Malay diaspora managed to collect ₹35 crore in May 2024, the blood money demanded by the victim’s family. The victim’s family later agreed to overturn the death sentence after receiving the money. A Saudi court overturned the death sentence in July 2024. However, the Riyadh Criminal Court sentenced him to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment under the Public Rights Act in May 2025.

Published – 26 May 2026 20:14 IST