A pall of gloom has descended upon Kerala as news came in that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has executed two natives from the Indian state. The deceased individuals have been identified as Muhammed Rinash Arangilottu and Muraleedharan Perumthatta Valappil.The news of the executions comes just days after the Ministry of External Affairs confirmed that Abu Dhabi had killed Shahzadi Khan, a UP woman convicted for the death of a four-month-old child.AdvertisementThis has put the spotlight on Indians who are on death row in foreign countries — with the Indian government recently stating that 54 nationals were on death row with the highest number reported from the UAE (29) and Saudi Arabia (12). Moreover, 10,152 Indians are in 86 different jails across the world.Let’s take a closer look at these numbers and the stories behind it.UAE’s executes 3 Indians within weeksThe MEA confirmed the news of Arangilottu and Valappil being executed by the UAE on Thursday (March 6). The two of them, hailing from Kerala, were facing the death sentence for the murder of an Emirati national and an Indian national respectively.The UAE’s highest court, the Court of Cassation, upheld their death sentences, and the executions were carried out on February 28, 2025.According to officials, Arangilottu, who hailed from Kannur, had been working in a travel agency in Al Ain before his arrest related to the murder of a UAE national. A report by South First said that Arangilottu’s mother had petitioned Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to intervene in the case, claiming that her son accidentally committed murder while trying to escape from the torture of a mentally challenged UAE national.The MEA has reported that all possible consular and legal assistance were provided to the two but it didn’t pan out in the end.The news of the executions of the two Keralites comes on the heels of 33-year-old
Shahzadi Khan, from Uttar Pradesh’s Banda, being hanged in a jail in the United Arab Emirates after she was found guilty of killing a four-month-old child.Editor’s Picks1Why the US is executing a convict by firing squad for the first time in 15 years2‘Survived only because of our training’: How Navy veterans spent months in Qatar prisonShahzadi was handed over to the Abu Dhabi police on February 10, 2023, and she was sentenced to death on July 31, 2023. The MEA informed that the execution went ahead on February 15, 2025. Image Courtesy: XKhan had gone to UAE in 2021 with her family alleging that she went under false promises and claims. Her primary responsibility was to care for the infant of an Indian couple — Faiz and Nadia. In February 2022, tragedy struck when the four-month-old baby under Shahzadi’s care passed away. The couple she worked for immediately accused her of being responsible for their child’s death.AdvertisementHowever, Khan’s family maintained that she was innocent, claiming the four-month-old died from an incorrect vaccination on the day of his death. They said Khan did not get “adequate representation” during her trial.Her father later urged the MEA to intervene in the matter, but despite all efforts, she was found guilty and sentenced to death.UAE accounts for most Indians on death row in foreign landAs per government data provided in early February, the UAE accounts for the highest number of Indians on death row in a foreign land. As many as 29 Indians were facing the death sentence in the UAE, Kirti Vardhan Singh, Minister of State for External Affairs, informed the Rajya Sabha on February 13.He added that as per data available, the number of Indian citizens awarded the death sentence by foreign courts was 54. Furthermore, UAE housed the second highest number of Indian prisoners — 2,518 — behind Saudi Arabia with 2,633 Indian prisoners.Indians on death row in other Gulf countriesWhile the UAE may have the highest number of Indians on death row, it isn’t the only country. Government data shows that 12 Indians are facing the gallows in Saudi Arabia, three in Kuwait, one in Qatar and one in Yemen. As per official figures, Bahrain, Oman and Iraq have no Indians on death row.Perhaps, the most famous case of an Indian awaiting a death sentence in a foreign country is that of
Nimisha Priya, the nurse from Kochi, who has been sentenced to death for the alleged murder of a Yemeni national, Talal Abdo Mahdi, in 2017.AdvertisementNimisha Priya, from Palakkad district, has been charged with the murder a Yemen national Talal Abdu Mahdi. Image Courtesy: XLast December, the 34-year-old’s death sentence had been approved by Yemen President Rashad al-Alimi, leaving her with her final option — securing a pardon from Mahdi’s family. For months, Nimisha’s relatives and supporters have been trying to do this by raising
diyah, or blood money, to be paid to the family, and negotiations have been going on.While Nimisha Priya’s family and friends are still trying to negotiate her release through bloody money, an Indian in Saudi Arabia escaped execution after Indians around the globe raised nearly $4 million to save him in April last year.In 2006, Kozhikode native Machilakath Abdul Rahim went to Saudi as a driver in the house of Saudi national Abdulla Abdurahman Al Shahri and was also tasked with the care of his differently abled son, Anas Al Shahri. However, a month into his job, Rahim while trying to pacify Anas, who became agitated during a trip, hit the tube attached to the boy’s throat, killing him accidentally.AdvertisementSentenced to death, the family of the victim agreed to pardon Rahim after Rs 34 crore was raised as blood money to secure his release. A final order from a court in Riyadh is awaited for his release.Reasons why Indians land up on death rowAccording to many, the fact that so many Indians are on death row in these countries shows the harsh realities faced by
migrant workers and the rigid application of sharia law in the region.Kabir Taneja, deputy director and fellow at the Strategic Studies Programme at the Observer Research Foundation, told South China Morning Post that in many instances when Indians move to these countries, withholding of passports has become a norm. Many Indians routinely complain that their passport is taken away by their employer and in many cases, payment of wages is also delayed.Even in the Nimisha Priya case, Mahdi had reportedly taken away her passport preventing her from returning to India. In July 2017, Nimisha injected him with sedatives in order to retrieve her passport. However, he died of an overdose.AdvertisementMany Indians also complain that the work conditions provided to them are pitiful. All these factors may push them over the edge, driving them to take drastic steps in some cases. In many other cases, it is simply the lack of proper legal remedies being provided to Indians.With inputs from agenciesMore from Explainers
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How UAE has become country with most Indians on death row abroad