For the murder of an elderly Saudi woman in Jeddah three South Asians and an Indian were sentenced to death by a Saudi Arabian court.
They have seven days to appeal the verdict.
Indian officials in Jeddah said they may file a mercy petition to the Saudi King for the Indian.
The three –Haleema Nissa Cader, a Sri Lankan, Naushad, her Indian husband from Tamil Nadu and K M S Bandaranaike, also a Sri Lankan — were arrested in November 2005 in connection with the armed burglary and her murder.
The case has been going on for some time, but we have not received any official notice from the Saudi authorities, an Indian official told PTI from Jeddah.
“Once we get some official confirmation, we can file a mercy petition to the Saudi King as has been the case in all such cases,” he said, In another case a mercy petition had been sent following which a retrial was ordered, he said.
An oral verdict was delivered in June last year, and a 15-page written verdict was given on January 20, the report said, adding that Jeddah High Court Judge Faisal Al-Sheikh confirmed the verdict on Sunday.
Five other Sri Lankans, including two women, were sentenced to five years in jail and will also receive 500 lashes for their role in the crime.
The verdict has been slammed by Amnesty International, which has accused authorities of imposing the death sentences without proper judicial procedure.
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