Justice or Miscarriage? Indian Domestic Worker Hanged in UAE for Alleged Child Murder!

New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu): Shehzadi Khan, a resident of Uttar Pradesh, was executed in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on February 15, 2025. This information was presented by the Additional Solicitor General on behalf of the central government in the Delhi High Court. He also stated that the Indian Embassy is providing all possible assistance to Shehzadi's family. The last rites are scheduled to take place on March 5, 2025.

During the hearing of a petition filed by her father seeking her safety, the Delhi High Court was informed and confirmed that the woman had been executed. After learning about the execution, Justice Sachin Datta called the situation "very unfortunate." The case of Shehzadi's execution had been making headlines in Indian media for the past four months, with uncertainty over whether she would be hanged or if the Indian government's intervention would lead to a pardon or a commutation of her sentence to life imprisonment.

The central government stated that officials from the Indian Embassy in Dubai are making arrangements to allow Shehzadi’s family to attend her last rites in Abu Dhabi. The government explained that despite its best efforts, the UAE laws treat the killing of an infant very seriously, making diplomatic intervention ineffective.

Shehzadi’s father, Shabbir Khan, a resident of Banda, expressed deep uncertainty regarding his daughter's situation and claimed that repeated requests for clarification from the Ministry of External Affairs went unanswered. The petition also alleged that Shehzadi did not receive a strong legal defense in local courts in her case involving the alleged murder of her employer's four-month-old child.

It was further claimed that Shehzadi was pressured into confessing, leading to her death sentence. During the hearing, the petitioner’s lawyer stated that the family’s main concern was to know whether their daughter was alive or had already been executed. On February 14, Shehzadi had called her father from prison, informing him that she would be executed within a day or two and that it was her final call.

Background of the Case

Shehzadi Khan, a 33-year-old Indian woman, was handed over to Abu Dhabi police on February 10, 2023, after being accused of murdering her Indian employer’s child. Following the conviction, she was sentenced to death on July 31, 2023, and was subsequently imprisoned in Al Wathba Jail.

Originally from Banda district in Uttar Pradesh, Shehzadi had befriended a young man from Agra online. He invited her to Agra for medical treatment, as she had burn scars on her face. However, upon reaching Agra, the man deceived and tricked her into traveling to Dubai, where his sister needed a domestic worker. After obtaining a legal visa, Shehzadi moved to Abu Dhabi in December 2021.

In August 2022, her employer had a baby boy, and Shehzadi was assigned as the child's caregiver. On December 7, 2022, the infant received routine vaccinations but tragically passed away the same evening. Shehzadi's father alleged that the child’s parents refused to consent to an autopsy and even signed an agreement waiving further investigation into the death. He questioned how, despite this, it was concluded that Shehzadi was responsible for the infant's murder.