A nurse from India who was working in Yemen had married a Yemeni national on paper but killed him when he held her captive by seizing her passport and using all her money. The nurse along with her Yemeni friend had cut the victim's body into pieces and dumped it inside the tank in her flat in Al Deydh. The 30-year-old nurse has been awarded death sentence by the appeals court of Sana'a in Yemen.
The nurse has been identified as Nimisha Priya from the state of Kerala in India. She is currently lodged in the prison in Yemen. She is married to a man from Kerala and also has a daughter with him. The accused can appeal in the Supreme Court against the appeals court verdict within 15 days.
Husband on Paper Turns Tormentor
The incident occurred in 2017 in Yemen. Nimisha Priya was in Yemen since 2013 and was working in a hospital there. But she wanted to open her own clinic. As only Yemenis are allowed to open a business there, she registered her marriage with a Yemeni man named Talal Abdu Mahdi on paper. Following the registration of marriage, she was granted a license from the government for the clinic in 2014. But after the registration, Mahdi forced her to live as his real wife even though he was already married.
She was not only forced to live with Mahdi's first wife but he seized her passport and used all the money that came from the clinic. She was also harassed by Mahdi. After being abused and harassed for years, Nimisha along with her Yemeni friend Hanana, who worked as a nurse along with her, murdered Mahdi. His body was cut into pieces and packed in a sack that was thrown inside the water tank in her flat.
After a few days, neighbors got suspicious with the foul smell emanating from the tank and informed the police. The cops arrested Nimisha after the probe. Hanana has been awarded a life sentence for the crime.
Pardon For Blood Money?
Meanwhile, the case was referred to the Kerala state authorities and the state asked legal expert Balachandran after NORKA-Roots and the Central Government intervened in the case in 2018. The Kerala government asked Balachandran to represent Nimisha in Sana'a court.
The verdict was due on December 22, 2019, but after the intervention of the Indian Embassy, the verdict was postponed. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the verdict was delayed and announced on August 18, 2020, by the appeals court awarding Nimisha's death sentence.
The case is likely to be appealed to the higher court, but there has been no announcement in this regard yet. However, Nimisha's legal representative is likely to appeal for mercy. Reports claim that Mahdi's family has agreed to grant pardon if they are paid around $94,000 as blood money.
