Kerala man shot dead in Jordan while trying to cross border to Israel

The incident happened on February 10, five days after they went to Jordan. Both Thomas and Edison, hailing from the fishermen community, were autorickshaw drivers.

According to family sources, they got a letter from the Indian Embassy in Amman in Jordan, which said: “Thomas and another person were trying to cross the Jordan border at Karkak district illegally. The security forces tried to stop them but they did not listen to the warning. The guards opened fire on them. One bullet hit Thomas in his head and he died on the spot. Later, his body was sent to a local hospital”.

The letter from Pradeek Kumar, Attache at the Embassy, said Indian officials will be visiting the hospital to verify the identity of Thomas.

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. @MEAIndia

— India in Jordan (@IndiainJordan) March 2, 2025

After verification, the mortal remains will be arranged for transportation to India. The letter said there will be some expenditure to transport the mortal remains and personal belongings of the deceased, which will be conveyed soon, said the letter, asking the family to share details of his identity card.

Families of Thomas and Edison in Kerala said the duo were among four persons who went to Jordan on tourist visas on February 5. They were helped by a Keralite who is working in Jordan.

The Karak Governorate of Jordan borders the Dead Sea to the west, the Ma’an Governorate to the east, and the Madaba and Capital governorates to the north. (Jordan is divided into 12 governorates).

“We were told that they were shot by the forces while trying to move to Israel,’’ said a relative of Thomas.

The google map shows that the closest point between the Jordanian border near Karak and the Israeli border is near the Dead Sea.

“For a few days there was no information about the persons who went to Jordan. Subsequently, we approached the Indian Embassy seeking details about their whereabouts. On February 28, Edison reached home with bullet injuries. Then only we came to know about the death of Thomas. In the meantime, the Embassy had sent an email to one of the relatives informing about the death of Thomas. The Embassy had sent the letter on February 28, but unfortunately we opened the mail only on March 1,’’ said the relative.

The family source said Edison was shifted to camp by the Jordan forces and was given treatment for bullet injuries. “He sustained bullet injuries at a seashore. Later, he realised that he was at a camp of the security forces, where he was treated for bullet injuries. A few days later, he was jailed in Jordan and later he was sent back to India. According to information, the other two persons in the group are in Jordan jail,’’ said a relative of the families.

Non-Resident Keralites Affairs (NORKA) chief executive officer Ajith Kolassery said this is an incident of illegal migration. “Without a valid job visa, they tried to cross to Israel. Innocent people from lower strata of society are trapped and cheated by unscrupulous recruiting agents. NORKA is never informed about such recruitments. The illegal recruitment under the guise of tourist visa is rampant. We get details only when people are in trouble,’’ he said.