A 47-year-old Indian national, Thomas Gabriel Periera, was fatally shot by security forces in Jordan while allegedly attempting to cross the border into Israel illegally. The Indian Embassy in Amman informed his family of his death through an official email.
Thomas, who resided in Thumba, Jordan, was reportedly accompanied by an acquaintance named Edison during the attempted crossing from the Karak district. While Edison sustained gunshot wounds in the incident, he was deported to India and arrived in Thiruvananthapuram earlier this week.
His wife, speaking to ANI, recalled her last conversation with him: “He only spoke to me for two minutes. He just asked me to pray for him…”
A relative of Thomas’ wife revealed to ANI that they were first informed about the incident by a family member residing in London. “My relative’s son is in London, and 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.”
She further stated that the family was later notified via email about his passing and that his body was currently being kept in a government hospital in Jordan.
Thomas had previously worked in Kuwait for five years. According to his relatives, he left without informing anyone about his plans. “He didn’t say anything to his wife and anyone, he left silently. He called once he reached there, and then only he told where he went to,” she said.
The bereaved family has now urged the Indian government to assist in repatriating his mortal remains.
In response, the Indian Embassy in Jordan addressed the situation in a post on X, stating: “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.”
