Kerala man shot dead at Jordan-Israel border; wife recalls his last words
Thomas Gabriel Periera, 47, lived in Jordan and apparently tried to cross the border into Israel illegally with his relative Edison, who was also shot at
An Indian man shot dead by security forces in Jordan while trying to illegally enter Israel reportedly called his wife in Kerala and asked her to pray for him before the call was cut.
Thomas Gabriel Periera, 47, was killed while trying to sneak into Israel, a mail sent by the Indian embassy in Amman informed his family in Thiruvananthapuram.
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His wife told the media that when she last received a phone call from him, he spoke to her only for two minutes and asked her to pray for him.
One dead, one injured
Thomas lived in Jordan and apparently tried to cross the border into Israel with his relative Edison.
Edison was also shot at, and sustained bullet injuries and was deported to India last week. He has reached the Kerala capital.
Speaking to India Today, Edison said they were taken to Jordan by their friend Biju. In Jordan, they attempted to get visas to go to Israel. For the tourist package, a minimum of 10 people was required, he said.
"However, we were only four, including a British national. The UK national went home, promising to bring more people," he added.
What happened at the border
Edison said the three of them continued their journey to cross the border with the help of a guide, who is from Sri Lanka. However, they were caught by Jordanian border forces.
Unable to understand their language, the security forces opened fire at them, he said, and added that they pleaded with them to let them make a phone call home, but to no avail.
Further, Edison told the website that the guide was also unable to speak their language. He said that was the last time he saw Thomas before losing consciousness. When he woke up, he found himself in a prison.
"I came home as I was able to call my family from the jail there. I didn't have money... I got to know about his death after getting confirmation from the Embassy," Edison said.
According to reports, Edison said Biju promised him and Thomas jobs that would pay Rs 3.5 lakh per month, and collected Rs 2.5 lakh from them, and also demanded Rs 50,000 per month.
Man’s sister-in-law speaks
Sister of Thomas’s wife told ANI news agency, “My relative's son is in London. He is the one who called and informed me about this incident. We don't know what happened exactly. He left from here on 5th (February). On 9th (February), my sister received a call, it was just for two minutes. He just asked to pray for him and cut the call.”
In a post on its X (formerly Twitter) account, the Indian Embassy in Jordan said, "The embassy has learnt of the sad demise of an Indian national in unfortunate circumstances. The embassy is in touch with the family of the deceased and is working closely with Jordanian authorities for transportation of mortal remains of the deceased."
