Abduction of Jeddah industrialist V. P. Muhammed Ali in Kerala sparks concern among expatriate community
text_fields
Jeddah/Malappuram: The abduction of expatriate businessman V. P. Muhammed Ali has shocked the Malayali community in Jeddah.
Muhammed Ali, a native of Poongode in Kalikavu, Malappuram, owns several business establishments in Saudi Arabia, other Gulf countries and Kerala. Active in Jeddah’s industrial and social circles for nearly five decades, he is widely regarded as a key figure supporting the expatriate community. The incident has therefore caused deep concern among Gulf-based Malayalis. He currently serves as Managing Director of Jeddah National Hospital and the Rayan Medical Group.
He was travelling to Kochi Nedumbassery Airport to return to Jeddah when the abduction occurred. Around 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, near Arangottukara on the Malappuram–Palakkad district border, an Innova car following his vehicle blocked the path. An unidentified group stepped out, threatened him at gunpoint, forced him out of his car and pushed him into their vehicle before speeding away.
He was taken to a house in Kothakurissi, Palakkad district and held captive. In the early hours of Sunday, while the abductors were asleep, he managed to escape and ran to a nearby mosque seeking help. People at the mosque took him to a hospital. He had suffered serious injuries, including to his face, from the assault and is now undergoing treatment.
The motive and those behind the kidnapping remain unclear. However, Muhammed Ali is a party in a case pending before the Supreme Court related to a college in the Nilgiris. His relatives suspect that individuals connected to that dispute may have orchestrated the abduction. Despite intensified police investigation, the failure to arrest the culprits so far has angered expatriates.
Malayalis in Jeddah say the incident raises worries about safety in Kerala. Past cases of expatriate entrepreneurs being abducted in Kerala add to the concern. The issue of safety for investors and businesspersons remains a topic of active discussion. The expatriate community is calling for the immediate arrest of the accused and firm legal action.
