
ABU DHABI (TIP): A 33-year-old Indian-origin 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, March 3.
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.
A senior MEA official also confirmed Shahzadi’s execution in the UAE on charges of murder of an infant. “The highest court of the UAE, the 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,” the official said.
He said that the UAE authorities intimated to the embassy on February 28, 2025 that the sentence of Shahzadi has been carried out in accordance with local laws following which the ministry informed her family of the matter.
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.
Provided all possible legal help: MEA
- A senior MEA official said the Indian Embassy provided all possible legal assistance to Shahzadi Khan, a native of UP’s Banda, who had been working as a caregiver in Abu Dhabi
- However, the UAE intimated the embassy that she was executed on February 15 “in accordance with local laws”
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.
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