Indian nurse Nimisha Priya to be executed in Yemen on July 16, says negotiator
New Delhi: Indian nurse Nimisha Priya, who was convicted of murdering a Yemeni citizen, is scheduled to be executed in Yemen on July 16. The victim, Talal Abdo Mehdi, was a local man with whom Nimisha had run a clinic, reported The Indian Express.
Quoting Samuel Jerome Baskaran, a social worker involved in talks with Yemeni officials and Talal’s family, the news report mentioned that he confirmed the execution date. “The public prosecutor has sent the letter of prosecution to the jail authorities. The execution is set for July 16. However, there is still hope. The Indian government can still take steps to save her,” he said.
He also mentioned that efforts are ongoing to get a pardon from Talal’s family. “We made an offer to the family during the last meeting, but they haven’t responded yet. I am leaving for Yemen today to continue the discussions,” Samuel added.
Nimisha’s mother, Prema Kumari, has been in Yemen for the past year trying to save her daughter. She works as a domestic worker in Kochi and has visited Nimisha in prison a few times since arriving in Sanaa.
Nimisha, a nurse from Kerala, had worked in Yemen for several years. With Talal’s help, she ran a clinic, but she later alleged that he abused her mentally, physically, and financially. In 2017, she was accused of killing him. A trial court in Yemen sentenced her to death, and the country’s Supreme Court upheld the verdict. Yemen’s President Rashad al-Alimi approved the death sentence last year. Since January, the final order has been with the public prosecutor.
Her execution now depends on whether Talal’s family agrees to forgive her. Last year, after the president approved the death penalty, India’s Ministry of External Affairs said it would offer all possible help to Nimisha and her family.
In December, Prema Kumari had approached the Delhi High Court to seek permission to travel to Yemen despite the ongoing conflict.
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Man arrested with Rs 2.54-crore heroin in Mumbai
Mumbai (PTI): Police have arrested a man and seized over 500 grams of heroin worth Rs 2.54 crore in the illicit market from him in Mumbai, officials said on Friday.
The police's Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) made the drug seizure in Santacruz in the western suburbs. The operation was conducted by the Kandivali unit of the ANC on Thursday as part of a special crackdown against drug trafficking in the area, they said.
Acting on specific inputs, an ANC team conducted a raid in Santacruz (East) and intercepted a man. During a search, the team recovered 508 grams of high-grade heroin from his possession, an official said.
The seized contraband, a highly addictive, opioid drug derived from morphine, is estimated to be worth Rs 2.54 crore in the international market, he informed.
Following the seizure, a case was registered against the man under relevant sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, and he was formally placed under arrest in the early hours of Friday.
The police are currently investigating the source of the drug and trying to identify the intended recipients of the consignment, he said.
