Locals in Kerala united to crowdfund the blood money of Rs 34cr to save Abdul Rahim, a native of Kozhikode, who has been imprisoned in Saudi Arabia for over 18 years and was facing the death penalty.

The funding campaign initiated through an app was driven by social media, the campaign started positively when the amount of Rs 1cr was collected in just nine minutes. The funding was transparent as every donor got a receipt of the donation.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan praised the Malyalis by saying, "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 34 crore rupees."
He mentioned it as, "The Real Kerala Story".

Rahim, who worked as a driver and a caretaker to a disabled boy was responsible for a horrific incident that cost the life of the disabled boy. Rahim accidentally dislodged the tube which was attached to the throat of the boy and was working as a life-saving device for him, this resulted in the death of the boy.

The court in 2018 ordered a Death sentence for Rahim under Saudi Law for Murder. The family of the boy who initially wanted a death sentence for Rahim later agreed to pardon it in return for a "Blood Money" of 15 million Saudi riyals.

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