📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Saudi Press Agency (SPA)
Crime
Punjab Truck Driver Sentenced to Death in Saudi Arabia Drug Case, Family Appeals for Release
✍️ India Today
🗓 19 Sep 2026, 05:37 PM
👁 9
A truck driver from Punjab has been handed a death penalty by a Saudi court for his involvement in a drug trafficking case, prompting his relatives in India to petition for his release.
A Saudi Arabian court has sentenced a 38‑year‑old truck driver from Punjab to death after finding him guilty of participating in a large‑scale drug trafficking operation. The verdict was delivered in a closed hearing in Riyadh, where the accused had been detained for several years following a joint Saudi‑Indian investigation.
According to court documents, the driver was alleged to have transported narcotics concealed within his cargo across the Saudi‑UAE border, violating the kingdom's strict anti‑drug laws. Prosecutors presented evidence of seized substances and testimony from customs officials, leading the judges to impose the maximum penalty under Saudi law.
The driver's family in India, led by his wife and parents, have lodged a petition with the Indian High Commission in Riyadh seeking clemency and a review of the case. They have also appealed to the Saudi Ministry of Interior, urging a commutation of the sentence on humanitarian grounds. Diplomatic channels are reportedly being engaged, but no official response has been released yet.
According to court documents, the driver was alleged to have transported narcotics concealed within his cargo across the Saudi‑UAE border, violating the kingdom's strict anti‑drug laws. Prosecutors presented evidence of seized substances and testimony from customs officials, leading the judges to impose the maximum penalty under Saudi law.
The driver's family in India, led by his wife and parents, have lodged a petition with the Indian High Commission in Riyadh seeking clemency and a review of the case. They have also appealed to the Saudi Ministry of Interior, urging a commutation of the sentence on humanitarian grounds. Diplomatic channels are reportedly being engaged, but no official response has been released yet.