Abu Dhabi: A job has been offered by the Lulu Group to the Indian expatriate who was saved from capital punishment in the UAE after the retail chain’s chairman and managing director M.A. Yusuff Ali paid Dh500,000 in blood money.
In the early hours of Wednesday, the 45-year-old Charavattayi Krishnan Becks, who was sentenced to death for running over a Sudanese boy in September 2012, had an emotional reunion with his family after almost nine years.
Becks had been kept in jail after the UAE Supreme Court found him guilty of killing the eight-year-old boy after he carelessly drove and crashed his car into a group of children. On Tuesday, he flew home and was received by his wife Veena and son Advaith, who had not seen his father since he was four. The emotional scenes that took place during Becks met them at the Cochin International Airport were covered by the Indian media covered. Later, he went to his home in Thrissur district to meet his aged parents.
On reaching home Becks said, “I am very happy”. He thanked Yusuff Ali and prayed for the good health and long life of his savior and he also added that he had restored hope of returning home only after Yusuffali intervened in the case. Becks also thanked Abdulla Kutty, the administration manager at Lulu Group, for regularly following up on the case.
Yusuff Ali also clarified that helping Becks was not a philanthropic act after he survived a helicopter crash. Yusuff Ali, his wife, two staff members, and two pilots had a miraculous escape after the retail businessperson’s helicopter belly-landed in a swamp in Kerala on April 11. He also points out that the release for Becks was secured after a long-drawn process, Yusuff Ali said he had deposited the blood money amount in the court in January this year. “Many people think that I helped him as sadaqah [voluntary charity] after my helicopter accident. That is not correct.”
Following the chopper crash, Yusuff Ali had undergone spinal surgery, said he had helped Becks on humanitarian grounds and there was a chance to save him by paying the blood money as per the law of the land. “You can’t measure the value of a life with money… But the blood money is their [the victim’s family’s] right as per our religion…no matter the amount. We had to convince both the parents to accept it as he is a young man with a family.”
The Sudanese family was brought down by Yusuff Ali to the UAE for negotiations and also coordinated with the Indian Embassy in Abu Dhabi to follow the legal procedures. Soon after Becks’ family got to know that he was sentenced to death by firing squad, they had been trying for his release without any success. As the victim’s family had gone back and settled in Sudan and did not wish to entertain any discussion on offering him pardon by accepting the blood money of Dh200,000. When all their efforts to secure Becks’ release failed, the family sought help from Yusuff Ali.
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