Who is Nimisha Priya? A nurse from Kerala’s Palakkad district facing death sentence in Yemen

Nimisha Priya, an Indian nurse who hails from Kerala, has been handed over death sentence in Yemen for allegedly murdering a Yemeni citizen.

Acocording to reports, Yemen's President Rashad al-Alimi has reportedly approved death sentence of.

In 2020, a trial court handover over a capital punishment to Priya. In 2023, Yemen's Supreme Judicial Council upheld the verdict.

Who is Nimisha Priya?

— Nimisha Priya hails from Kollengode in Kerala's Palakkad district.

— She is a trained nurse and for a few years, she has worked in private hospitals in Yemen.

— In 2014, her husband and minor daughter returned to India because of financial reasons. However, they could not go back as the country stopped issuing new visas due to civil war.

According to reports, in 2015, Nimisha joined hands with a local man Talal Abdo Mahdi to set up her clinic in Sana city. Later, when she came for a month-long holiday in the same year, he accompanied her to Kerala.

— During the visit, Mahdi stole Nimisha's wedding photograph and manipulated it to claim that he was married to her.

— According to a petition moved by the nurse's mother, Mahdi harassed her, seized her passport and tortured her under the influence of drugs.

"He threatened her at gunpoint several times. He took all the money from the clinic and her ornaments," ANI quoted mother as saying in a plea.

— In 2017, while attempting to get back her passport from Mahdi, priya gave him sedatives, but he died within a few minutes due to a drug overdose.

— Priya was caught by the local police and later she was awarded capital punishment in 2018.

Extending all possible help, says MEA

In a statement, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) official spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that New Delhi is extending all possible help in the matter.

"We are aware of the sentencing of Nimisha Priya in Yemen. We understand that the family of Priya is exploring relevant options. The government is extending all possible help in the matter," reads the statement.