Who was Shahzadi Khan, the UP woman executed in UAE?

In a tragic development, 33-year-old Shahzadi Khan from Uttar Pradesh’s Banda district, who had been sentenced to death in the UAE for allegedly killing a child, was executed on February 15.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) informed the Delhi High Court on Monday that they received confirmation of her execution from the Gulf nation on February 28.

“It is over. She was executed on February 15. Her last rites will be held on March 5,” Additional Solicitor General Chetan Sharma told the court.

The update on her execution came after her elderly father, Shabbir Khan, filed a plea in the Delhi High Court on Saturday, requesting government authorities to issue a bulletin and ascertain information on her condition.

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Shahzadi had been imprisoned in Al Wathba jail in the UAE for years. Her father had last year made an emotional appeal to the ruling family of the UAE, as well as to President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, pleading for mercy to save his daughter.

Later, the Indian Embassy took up her case refuting reports that suggested that Shahzadi was set to be executed within 24 hours of her “last phone call back home.”

But who was Shahzadi Khan? How did she end up in the UAE? What led to her conviction? Here’s a closer look at her case.

False promises & betrayal

Shahzadi Khan’s journey to Abu Dhabi began in 2021. A resident of Goyra Mugli village in Uttar Pradesh’s Banda district, she had been working with an organisation called ‘Roti Bank of Banda’ during the COVID-19 lockdown. It was during this time that she connected with Uzair, a social worker and businessman from Agra, through Facebook.

Her father, Shabbir Khan, who is a farmer in UP, said that Uzair offered her the promise of a better future, including medical treatment for the severe burns she had suffered as a child when boiling water accidentally spilled on her.

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“Uzair told her he would be able to get her better medical attention in the UAE and, circumstances permitting, even a job,” Shabbir told The Independent. “He told her his uncle and aunt lived in Abu Dhabi and they could help with a tourist visa. And she could work for them while she was there.”

“Shahzadi was hesitant,” he added. “Uzair reassured her, ‘The visa is only for 90 days and you can return after that.’”

But when she arrived in Abu Dhabi in November 2021, Shabbir claimed, his daughter realised that her visa was actually for six months—and that she had been “sold” to a married couple, Faiz and Nadia, as a bonded labourer for a hefty sum.

Authorities also filed a human trafficking case against the couple, now living in Dubai and Uzair.

Shahzadi’s primary responsibility was to care for their four-month-old baby. Initially, Shabbir said he accepted the situation, reasoning that at least she had food and shelter.

“But when I did not get a call from her for ten days, I grew concerned,” he said. “I would call her daily, but there was no response.”

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What went wrong?

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.

An investigation followed, leading to Shahzadi’s arrest and, eventually, a death sentence handed down by an Abu Dhabi court.

According to court documents, Shahzadi was accused of asphyxiating the infant in the “spur of the moment”. During the trial, the court was told that she was upset over “mistreatment and nondelivery of salaries”, and that she took out her anger on the baby.

However, both Shahzadi and her father insisted that the child’s death was due to medical negligence. They claim that the baby had received a vaccine earlier that day and was running a fever.

Shabbir told the British publication that his daughter was “trapped and forced to sign a false confession” by the baby’s mother, leading to her wrongful conviction. “She didn’t do it. My daughter is innocent,” he said, expressing his frustration at not being able to secure proper legal representation for her due to financial constraints.

One day, Shahzadi’s family received a distressing “last” call from Dubai. She informed them that she was being held in isolation and had been told by the jail captain that she would be hanged.

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Her father’s fight to save her

For long, Shahzadi’s parents had been desperately hoping for her return. Last year, they wrote to the government and the President, proclaiming their daughter’s innocence.

In his letter, Shabbir also demanded a thorough investigation, believing his daughter was deliberately framed in the infant’s death. He further called for the arrest of Uzair, whom he claimed was “on the run” after the high court refused to quash the case against him but allowed him to seek bail from a lower court.

“My daughter’s death sentence was initially scheduled for 2 May 2023,” he told The Independent. However, it was postponed due to severe floods in the UAE and the passing of a royal family member, which led to a period of mourning.

“But an officer told my daughter earlier this month that she could be hanged anytime after September 20,” he had added.

Following her “last phone call”, reports emerged that she might be hanged within 24 hours. However, UAE authorities had notified the Indian embassy that there was no immediate execution scheduled for Shahzadi.

“The report that Ms Shahzadi will be executed within 24 hours is incorrect. The embassy has confirmed this from the UAE authorities. A review petition in her case has been filed and the matter is under investigation,” sources were quoted as saying by The New Indian Express.

As the days passed, the family awaited justice and hoped that their daughter would return. “We tell her to have faith in God, that He will save her,” Shabbir had said, recalling his last conversation with Shahzadi. “But it’s hard to keep the faith when you’re facing death.”

ASG Chetan Sharma has told a bench led by Justice Sachin Datta that the ministry would ensure providing full assistance to Shahzadi’s family to facilitate the last rites, which would take place on March 5 in Abu Dhabi.

With input from agencies