A week after Saudi Arabia executed two Bangladeshi nationals over what authorities described as an “immoral act” inside a mosque in Mecca, unanswered questions surrounding the case have fuelled a wave of unverified claims on social media including allegations involving an Indian man.
Nazrul Islam Abdul Basir and Sweety Akhtar were executed in Saudi Arabia’s Mecca region on October 14. Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Interior said the two had been convicted after an investigation and court proceedings, with their death sentences becoming final before a royal order authorised the executions. However, the official statement did not specify exactly what they had done, identify the mosque or disclose the evidence presented against them.
Bangladesh Says It Was Not Informed Before Executions
Bangladeshi authorities have said neither the country’s embassy nor its consulate in Saudi Arabia was informed in advance about the death sentences or executions.
Dhaka learned of the case only after Saudi state media reported the executions and has since sought clarification from Riyadh through diplomatic channels. Bangladesh has requested information about the charges, judicial proceedings and whether the two citizens were given adequate opportunity to defend themselves.
A confidential memorandum from the Bangladesh Consulate General in Jeddah, obtained by The Daily Star, shows that both individuals had appeared on a prisoner list received from Saudi authorities on September 30.
The list stated that Nazrul had been detained on August 1, 2023, in connection with an information technology or cybercrime-related allegation, while Sweety was detained the following day on an allegation of adultery. Crucially, the list contained no indication that either had been sentenced to death.
Both were reportedly employed as cleaners by Saudi company Al Majal.
Families Dispute Allegations
The families of both Nazrul and Sweety have questioned the accusations against them.
Nazrul’s family has said it believes he was wrongly implicated and has called on the Bangladeshi government to investigate the circumstances surrounding his execution and help return his remains. The family said it had received no advance information about his execution.
Sweety’s family has similarly rejected the allegations against her. Her father told Bangladeshi media that she had said she was imprisoned after becoming caught up in a dispute involving other female workers. He said she never told the family that she had been sentenced to death and had continued communicating with them while in prison.
These family accounts have not been independently verified.
Viral Posts Introduce Indian Man Into Story
Against this backdrop of limited official information, a detailed narrative began circulating on Facebook and X this week.
Near-identical posts claim that Nazrul and Sweety developed a romantic relationship while working as cleaners at the Grand Mosque in Mecca and allegedly engaged in sexual activity in a secluded area between two gates of the mosque.
The posts further allege that Nazrul asked an Indian acquaintance to stand guard and that the man secretly recorded the encounter. According to the viral narrative, the Indian man later circulated the video and was subsequently sentenced to 20 years in prison, while Nazrul and Sweety received death sentences.
None of these claims has been substantiated by publicly available official records.
Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Interior statement does not mention an Indian national, a video recording, a third arrest or a 20-year prison sentence. It also does not provide the detailed account of the alleged incident contained in the viral posts.
Viral Narrative Repeated Without Independent Evidence
A version of the same story was published by Hajj Reporters under the headline “The Inside Story: Why Two Bangladeshi Were Given Death Sentences.”
The article repeats claims about an Indian man recording the alleged incident and receiving a 20-year sentence. However, it attributes the material to another social-media post and does not provide court documents, Saudi government records or other independent evidence supporting the claims.
The article also contains details that conflict with more reliable records.
For example, it claims Nazrul was arrested in May 2023, while the prisoner list supplied by Saudi authorities to the Bangladesh mission records his detention date as August 1, 2023.
That discrepancy further underlines why the circulating narrative should not be treated as established fact.
Saudi Statement Gives Only Broad Description of Offence
The Saudi Ministry of Interior said Nazrul and Sweety committed what it described as an immoral act inside a mosque in the holy city and were sentenced to death under ta’zir, a discretionary form of punishment under Saudi Islamic law.
The ministry said the punishment reflected the seriousness of violating the sanctity of the time and place.
But it did not publicly describe the precise conduct involved, explain why the earlier prisoner records referred to different alleged offences, or disclose evidence from the trial.
This gap between the brief official account and the much more detailed social-media narrative remains unresolved.
Dhaka Seeks Court Records From Riyadh
Bangladesh has formally asked Saudi authorities for copies of the judgments and more information about the legal proceedings.
Bangladesh’s Consul General in Jeddah raised the matter with Saudi foreign ministry officials, asking why the mission was not informed about the death sentences despite the two citizens having appeared on a prisoner list shortly before their executions.
Dhaka has also sought information about whether the two received legal representation and had an opportunity to defend themselves.
Until those documents are provided, significant questions about the case remain unanswered.
Families Still Seeking Answers
Nazrul’s family has appealed for his body to be returned to Bangladesh, while Sweety’s relatives have sought formal confirmation and information from the government about what happened to her.
Sweety’s father told The Daily Star that even shortly before reports of her execution emerged, she had not told him that she was facing a death sentence.
The episode has consequently raised questions not only about Saudi Arabia’s handling of the executions but also about whether Bangladesh had enough information about two of its citizens who had been imprisoned for more than three years.
Saudi Arabia Carried Out Record Number of Executions in 2025
The case has also renewed scrutiny of Saudi Arabia’s extensive use of capital punishment.
Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International recorded at least 356 executions in Saudi Arabia in 2025, the highest annual number they had documented in the kingdom. Many involved foreign nationals, including people convicted of non-lethal drug offences.
Human rights organisations have repeatedly raised concerns about due process and access to legal assistance in capital cases involving foreign workers. Saudi authorities maintain that executions are carried out after judicial proceedings and final approval under the kingdom’s legal system.
What Is Known and What Remains Unverified
What is established is that Nazrul Islam Abdul Basir and Sweety Akhtar were Bangladeshi nationals, had been detained since August 2023 and were executed in Mecca on October 14 after Saudi authorities said they were convicted of an immoral act inside a mosque.
It is also established that Bangladesh says it received no prior notification of their death sentences or executions and is now seeking the court records and further details from Riyadh.
What remains unverified is the detailed social-media narrative alleging a romantic relationship between the two, sexual activity at a specific location inside the mosque, the involvement of an Indian man who supposedly recorded them, and the claim that he was sentenced to 20 years in prison.
Until Saudi authorities release fuller case records or independent evidence emerges, those claims should be treated as unsubstantiated rather than established facts.
