UP woman on death row executed in United Arab Emirates
A 33-year-old Indian woman, who was on death row in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for allegedly killing a four-month-old baby, was executed by the authorities, the Ministry of External Affairs informed the Delhi High Court on Monday.
Shahzadi Khan, hailing from Uttar Pradesh’s Banda district, was executed on February 15. The grim news was formally communicated to the Indian Embassy in Abu Dhabi only on February 28, leaving her family in shock and grief. Shahzadi’s father, Shabbir Khan, had been desperately seeking answers regarding her whereabouts and legal status, unaware that her execution had already taken place.
Khan had approached the Delhi High Court, requesting urgent information about his daughter’s well-being. It was during this legal proceeding that Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Chetan Sharma revealed the devastating truth—that Shahzadi had already been executed under UAE law.
With no further legal recourse left, the court disposed of the plea, calling the entire episode a “sad and unfortunate” incident. Her cremation is scheduled for March 5 in Abu Dhabi.
Shahzadi Khan had been working as a caregiver in Abu Dhabi when her employer’s infant son passed away on December 7, 2022, shortly after routine vaccination. She was arrested in February 2023 and later awarded the death sentence in July. Since her arrest, Shahzadi has been lodged in Al Wathba Central Jail.
A video also surfaced in December 2023 in which Shehzadi could be heard confessing to the crime.
However, her father’s petition alleged that the confession was obtained through torture and coercion by her employer’s family. The plea also pointed out that the child’s parents refused a postmortem examination and signed a waiver to prevent further investigation.
Despite these concerns, Shahzadi’s appeal was rejected in September 2023, and the UAE court upheld her death sentence on February 28, 2024. Desperate to save his daughter, Shahzadi’s father filed a final mercy petition in May 2024 but it was also rejected.
On February 14, this year, he received a phone call from Shahzadi, hinting that her execution was imminent and this could be her “final communication call” with family.
Following her daughter’s phone call, Shabbir reached out to the External Affairs Ministry on February 20, seeking to access information regarding the well-being of his daughter. Tragically, by the time any official response came, his daughter was already executed.
