Indian man shot dead in Jordan trying to illegally cross Israel border

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Jordanian security forces shot dead an Indian man trying to cross illegally into Israel, a letter sent to his family by the country’s embassy in Amman said.

Thomas Gabriel Perera, 47, from Thumba in the southern Indian state of Kerala, was in a group of four people who had travelled to Jordan on tourist visas on 5 February.

Perera and his companion Edison, 43, also from Thumba, were autorickshaw drivers. They had allegedly been promised jobs in Israel with a monthly salary of Rs350,000 (£3,180) by a fellow Indian working in Jordan.

Mr Edison said they paid that person Rs 210,000 (£1,908) upfront and were supposed to pay Rs 50,000 (£454) every month upon securing work.

“Thomas and another person were trying to cross the Jordan border at Karkak district illegally” on the night 10 February, The Indian Express quoted the embassy’s letter as stating. “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 report said.

Mr Edison, who sustained injuries and regained consciousness days later in a Jordanian medical facility, subsequently faced legal proceedings, and was deported to India on 28 February.

The embassy said on Sunday it had learnt of the "sad demise of an Indian national in unfortunate circumstances".

His wife told the news agency ANI that the last time Perera called her, he only spoke for two minutes. “He just asked me to pray for him,” she said.

In March last year, an Indian man named Nibin Maxwell was killed during the Israel-Gaza war. He had moved to Israel in late 2023 in search of work and was among hundreds of Indian men taking up jobs in dangerous places, such as the Russian frontline in Ukraine, driven by what an economist described as “extreme desperation” due to the lack of well-paid employment at home.

The Narendra Modi government faced domestic criticism after it signed an agreement with Israel to allow 40,000 Indians to work in construction and nursing in the Middle Eastern country, making up for the loss of Palestinian workers amid the war on Gaza. Critics demanded better and safer job opportunities closer home.

At the time the scheme was announced, the government said India was committed to making sure its migrant workers were protected. “Through this agreement, we want to ensure that there’s regulated migration and the rights of the people who go there are protected,” said Randhir Jaiswal, spokesperson for the foreign ministry.

Israel is not the only dangerous destination for Indians searching for work. Several Indian men were allegedly unwittingly recruited to work for the Russian army in Ukraine after leaving the country in response to job adverts seeking “army helpers”.

In January, the foreign ministry said at least 126 Indian nationals had joined the Russian military. Ninety six had since returned home, 12 had been killed and 16 were believed to be “missing”.