Hundreds of people in Kerala have collected £3.54 mn through a crowd-funding campaign to secure the release of Kozhikode native Abdul Rahim, convicted in Saudi Arabia for causing the death of a 15- year-old disabled boy.
"When the propagandists of hatred spread lies against the state, the Malayalees are raising their defence through stories of humanity and philanthropy. For the release of Abdul Rahim, a native of Kozhikode who was sentenced to death in Saudi Arabia, Malayalees all over the world have joined hands and collected more than £3 mn," said Kerala CM on social media.
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As per reports, Abdul Rahim was employed as a house driver of a Saudi citizen and as the caretaker of a 15- year-old disabled boy. As per Rahim's version, while travelling with the boy one day, he stopped the vehicle at a red light. When the boy asked Rahim to violate the red signal, he accidentally hit and dislodged the tube of a life-support device attached to the boy's body. As a result, the boy fell unconscious and died.
Rahim was sentenced to death in 2018 under Saudi law for murder. The victim boy's family was adamant about the death penalty. But they eventually agreed to pardon him if he paid 'blood money' of 15 million Saudi riyals.
A legal action committee was formed to organise the crowdfunding to save Abdur Rahim. The committee set up an app called 'Saveabdulrahim' to collect the amount. More than £3 mn were collected through the app. The fundraising target was achieved by adding the amount received offline.
A social media campaign was also launched to aid the release of Rahim.
The committee has said that it will contact the Indian Embassy in Riyadh to help secure Rahim's release before the April 15 deadline.
