Riyadh: Two Telangana men are seeking relief in separate legal cases in Saudi Arabia involving financial claims of about Rs 13.3 crore.
The cases involve 50-year-old Suheeb Nahdi, a resident of Bandlaguda in Hyderabad, and 39-year-old Shravan Kumar from the Bodhan constituency in Nizamabad district.
Hyderabad man faces death sentence
Nahdi worked as an IT engineer in Riyadh for around 20 years before being prosecuted over the death of Bangladeshi national Moinuddin Mufaddal Ahmad in a road incident on January 28, 2025.
A translated Saudi court judgment reviewed by Siasat.com states that Nahdi was convicted of premeditated and malicious murder after the court found that he deliberately ran over Ahmad with a white Ford Marquis, model 2006.
According to the judgment, Ahmad had been driving a Renault when the incident occurred. He got out of his vehicle after the collision, following which Nahdi allegedly ran him over. The injuries recorded in the forensic medical report later resulted in Ahmad’s death.
The Ninth Circuit of the Penal Court in Riyadh convicted Nahdi and ordered retribution. His lawyer, Sarah Sulaiman Ibrahim Al-Malik, challenged the ruling.
The Riyadh Court of Appeal upheld the judgment but deferred execution until the deceased’s minor heirs reach adulthood and become legally competent. The court also postponed consideration of the public right until the private right is settled.
The victim’s family has demanded 5 million Saudi riyals, around Rs 12.5 crore, as diya, or blood money, in return for waiving retribution.
During the proceedings, the family’s representative indicated that the heirs wanted retribution, while a blood-money settlement could be considered later.
Nahdi denied deliberately killing Ahmad. He told the court that Ahmad had reversed his vehicle into his car before falling onto the vehicle and towards the pavement. He also disputed an authenticated statement presented as an admission that he had hit the victim.
Wife appeals for clemency
Nahdi’s 43-year-old wife, Lubna Hasan Kaldi, is raising their two daughters and one son and has been taking online tuition to support the family.
She has appealed for government assistance to overturn the death sentence and facilitate her husband’s return to India. She said Nahdi suffers from diabetes and high blood pressure.
Kaldi said she had not initially known what had happened during the incident because her husband did not tell her about it. She learnt of his arrest when a police officer came to the family and said the injured person was in intensive care before taking Nahdi away. She said Nahdi did not return home afterwards.
The family has approached a higher Saudi court and is hoping for Nahdi’s acquittal.
The Telangana government has taken up the matter with the Indian Embassy in Riyadh and the Ministry of External Affairs. A separate letter from AIMIM president and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi, on February 16, 2026, also sought intervention, relief from the death sentence and Nahdi’s repatriation.
Nizamabad man unable to work or return
Kumar travelled to Riyadh in November 2023 in search of employment and joined a private medical research company as an ambulance driver. His wife, Vennanki Mamata, is differently abled.
On May 6, 2024, the ambulance Kumar was driving was involved in an accident that killed a Saudi couple and injured their three children.
A Saudi court ordered him to pay 330,000 Saudi riyals, approximately Rs 84 lakh, to the legal heirs of the deceased couple.
Kumar is now out on bail, but his Iqama (Resident ID) has expired, meaning he cannot work legally in Saudi Arabia. A travel ban also prevents him from returning to India.
Mamata has sought assistance to settle the case and enable Kumar to return home. Documents show that the Telangana government approached the Indian Embassy in Riyadh over the matter.
On May 29, Mamata also attended the Pravasi Prajavani programme held in Hyderabad, where she explained her family’s situation and appealed for help in bringing her husband back.
Embassy clarifies assistance
In its response dated July 30, 2026, the Indian Embassy in Riyadh said Kumar had three court cases linked to the accident, involving the deaths of two women and serious injuries to two men.
The embassy said the financial penalties were payable to the victims or their legal heirs and could not be waived by the government. It said the travel ban could be lifted through payment of the dues, a settlement with the victims’ families or an order from another court cancelling the ban.
Given the amount involved and the nature of the case, the embassy said it could not provide financial assistance through the Indian Community Welfare Fund (ICWF). It would, however, approach members of the Indian community to explore possible voluntary contributions.
The embassy also offered legal guidance and said it could provide contact details of lawyers, while clarifying that it could not hire a lawyer for Kumar. It said officials would continue to follow up on the matter and provide all possible assistance.
Abdul Rahim case
The cases come after the recent release of Kerala native Abdul Rahim, whose death sentence in Saudi Arabia was eventually commuted following a large-scale fundraising campaign.
Rahim was sentenced to death in 2006 over the accidental death of his sponsor’s teenage son, who depended on a life-support device. The device was accidentally dislodged while Rahim was caring for the boy, resulting in his death.
The victim’s family later agreed to pardon Rahim in return for 15 million Saudi riyals, around Rs 34 crore, in blood money. A major crowdfunding campaign by Malayalis helped raise the amount, leading to the commutation of his death sentence.
Rahim was released from prison in May 2026 after nearly 20 years in Saudi Arabia and returned to Kerala later that month.
