The family members of Kerala native Thomas Gabriel Pereira, who was shot dead on the Jordanian border while allegedly trying to sneak into Israel, have sought the help of the Indian embassy in Jordan to bring back his mortal remains.
The 47-year-old autorickshaw driver was part of a four-member group that had left for Jordan on tourist visas in January after being misled by an agent who had promised them work visas in Israel.
Thomas kept in touch with his wife Christeena until February 9 when he asked her to pray for him. Before she could ask anything further, the call got disconnected.
J. Rex, Christeena’s brother, told The Telegraph that he sent an email to the Indian embassy in Jordan on February 24 after failing to get in touch with Thomas.
“I got a reply at 6.43pm on February 28 stating that my brother-in-law was shot dead by the Jordanian army while trying to enter Israel through Karak district,” Rex, a daily-wage labourer, said.
Edison, Thomas’s friend and part of the four-member group, was also shot in the leg. Edison has since returned home to Thumba on the outskirts of Thiruvananthapuram, Rex said.
The other two members of the group, believed to be Sri Lankan residents, have been lodged in a prison in Jordan.
“Initially, the Indian embassy in Jordan informed us that we would have to bear the cost of repatriating Thomas’s body. Fortunately, local Congress MP Adoor Prakash and the Non-Resident Keralites Affairs Department have intervened and will bear the expenses involved in bringing back the body,” Rex added.
Thomas’s family does not know much about the visa agent except that his name is Biju and he works in Israel.
Thumba ward councillor Rexilin Mary told this newspaper that Thomas had been trying to reach West Asia in search of greener pastures for several years.
“We don’t know how much money Thomas had given to Biju. Thomas had managed to get a bank loan to buy an autorickshaw and was paying ₹8,000 as EMI per month. In January, Thomas managed to procure a tourist visa to Jordan in the hope of getting a job following a change in his visa status. We all are hoping that the Centre would intervene to ensure that Thomas’s body is repatriated,” Rexilin said.
