Indian woman on death row executed in UAE, Delhi High Court informed

New Delhi: A 33-year-old Indian woman, Shahzadi Khan, who was sentenced to death for the murder of a four-month-old baby in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), has been executed, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) informed the Delhi High Court on Monday. Khan, a resident of Banda district in Uttar Pradesh, was hanged on February 15.

The Indian Embassy in Abu Dhabi was officially notified of her execution on February 28. Her family, unaware of the development, had been awaiting updates on her case. During a legal proceeding, Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Chetan Sharma revealed to the court that she had already been hanged as per UAE law.

The court described the situation as “painful” but dismissed the petition, citing no further legal options. Khan will be laid to rest in Abu Dhabi on March 5.

Shahzadi Khan, who worked as an attendant in Abu Dhabi, was arrested in February 2023 after her employer’s child died shortly after a routine vaccination on December 7, 2022. She was sentenced to death in July 2023 and held in al-Wathba Central Jail.

A video of her confession surfaced in December 2023, but her father, Shabir Khan, claimed the statement was made under duress. He also alleged in his petition that the employer’s family pressured them into forgoing a post-mortem and further investigation.

Her appeal was rejected in September 2023, and the UAE court upheld her death sentence on February 28, 2024. Her father filed a final mercy petition in May 2024, but it was also denied.

On February 14, Shahzadi made a final call to her father, hinting that her execution was imminent. Shabir Khan later approached the MEA on February 20, seeking updates, but by the time he received an official response, his daughter had already been executed.