Saudi Gazette

Jeddah — Ismail Karayil, a 51-year-old Indian expat, had come to Makkah from Riyadh to perform Umrah before leaving the Kingdom for good for his home country. But as fate had it, he fell sick and died in the ICU of a hospital in Makkah’s Al-Zahr district where he was brought by the Saudi Red Crescent Authority Ambulance team.

He was not in a condition to speak therefore no details were obtained from him. No one visited him in the hospital. He died on Dec. 17 after spending seven days in the ICU.

Finally the police located his sponsor in Riyadh who had filed a huroob (runaway from work) case against Karayil, who was running a grocery store.

The sponsor informed one of Karayil’s friends about his death. His friends approached the hospital for the body, but the hospital authorities asked them to clear the bills first, said Mujeeb Pookkottur, a leading social worker in Makkah, who pursued the case with the authorities concerned.

At one stage, Karayil’s family members in Kannur district in southern Indian state of Kerala, wanted to sell their only home to pay ICU charges.

When the case came to the notice of a leading Kerala community organization, Kerala Muslim Cultural Center (KMCC)’s Makkah chapter, it came forwarded to clear the hospital bills. Finally, Karayil was buried in Sharaya graveyard recently.