An Indian woman, Shahzadi Khan, who was on the death row in the UAE, has been executed. India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) confirmed the unfortunate news today.

“An Indian national, Ms. Shahzadi, was convicted on charges of murder of an infant and sentenced to death in the UAE. The UAE’s Court of Cassation, upheld the sentence. The Embassy provided all possible legal assistance to Ms. Shahzadi, including sending mercy petitions and pardon requests to the Government of the UAE,” it said in a statement.

The UAE authorities informed the Indian embassy on February 28, 2025 that the sentence of Shahzadi has been carried out in accordance with local laws. “The family of Ms. Shahzadi has been informed of the matter,” said the MEA.

Earlier, the ministry had also informed the Delhi High Court that Shahzadi Khan was executed on February 15, 2025, in accordance with the laws  of UAE the murder of a child.

Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Chetan Sharma said the Indian Embassy in the UAE received an official communication about the execution from the government on February 28.

Authorities are extending all possible assistance and the last rites scheduled for March 5.

This came after Shahzadi’s father Shabbir Khan approached the court seeking to access information regarding the exact current legal status and well-being of his daughter. Justice Sachin Datta termed it “very unfortunate”.

The petition filed by the woman’s father stated that his daughter had spoken to him over the phone from detention on February 15, informing him that she had been relocated within the facility and that, before her potential execution, her final wish was to speak with her parents.

The 33-year old woman who hailed from Uttar Pradesh was prosecuted for the death of a four-month-old child under her care. She had been employed as a caregiver in Abu Dhabi when the incident occurred in December 2022.

According to Shahzadi’s father’s complaint, despite the hospital recommending a postmortem, the infant’s parents refused and signed a consent letter waiving further investigation.

Later, in February 2023, a video recording allegedly showed the woman confessing to the infant’s homicide–a confession she claimed was extracted through torture and abuse by her employer and their family. Subsequently, she was handed over to the Abu Dhabi police, and on July 31, 2023, she was sentenced to death.

The Indian Embassy in the UAE provided her with legal counsel. However, Shahzadi’s father claimed that she was not adequately represented in court. – Simran Sodhi is Executive Editor of nrifocus.com