The Life Journey of Nimisha Priya: From Kerala Nurse to Death Row in Yemen
Nimisha Priya, born in 1989 in Kollengode, a small village in Palakkad district, Kerala, grew up in a modest household. Her mother worked as a domestic helper, earning barely enough to support the family. Despite poverty, Nimisha was a bright and ambitious student. A local church sponsored her education, enabling her to complete a nursing diploma.
However, due to a technical rule, Nimisha couldn’t work in Kerala as a nurse because she hadn’t cleared her school-leaving exam before joining the diploma course. Determined to lift her family out of poverty, she looked abroad for opportunities. At just 19, in 2008, she secured a nursing job in Yemen, at a government hospital in Sana’a, the capital.
She left India full of hope, telling her mother, “Our days of hardship are over.”
In 2011, Nimisha returned to Kerala for an arranged marriage to Tomy Thomas, also from Kerala. Soon after, the couple moved back to Yemen, where Tomy found work as an electrician’s assistant, but his income was minimal. The couple had a daughter named Mishal in December 2012, increasing the financial burden.
As war loomed in Yemen by 2014, Tomy decided to return to India with their daughter. Nimisha stayed behind, determined to build something lasting.
Nimisha used her savings and borrowed money, pooling about ₹50 lakh (≈$60,000) to open the Al Aman Medical Clinic in 2015. It was a 14-bed facility with a pharmacy and lab. Yemeni law required a local co-owner, so Nimisha partnered with Talal Abdo Mahdi, a local businessman.
Initially, Mahdi seemed helpful. He even accompanied Nimisha on a trip to Kerala. But what seemed like a friendship would soon take a dark and dangerous turn.
In March 2015, civil war broke out in Yemen. Though most Indians were evacuated, Nimisha stayed. With ₹50 lakh invested, she couldn’t afford to leave. Her clinic prospered, despite airstrikes. Photos showed a well-equipped facility with Nimisha smiling in her nurse’s uniform. But behind those smiles was a grim reality.
Talal Mahdi’s behavior changed drastically. He began to control the clinic, demanded profits, and secretly added himself as a shareholder. Worse, he began spreading lies, claiming Nimisha was his wife.
He forged documents, including a marriage certificate and doctored wedding photo, replacing Tomy’s face with his own. This deception allowed him to steal her earnings, telling the staff he was her husband.
When confronted, Mahdi claimed he did it to “protect her reputation” – a thin excuse for abuse and control.
What followed was two years of terror. Mahdi began physically attacking Nimisha – often in front of staff. He confiscated her passport, entered her home at night, beat her, threatened her with a gun, and tried to force her into sexual acts, even bringing men to her house.
She ran into the streets at night to escape attempted rape, suffered sleepless nights, and was entirely alone.
Despite reaching out to authorities, she found no help. Once, she was even arrested herself when Mahdi showed the fake marriage certificate in court.
By 2017, Nimisha was trapped. Mahdi still held her passport, and no escape route was available. She discussed a desperate plan with a sympathetic prison warden – to sedate Mahdi and retrieve her passport.
On a day in July 2017, Nimisha injected Mahdi with ketamine while he was intoxicated. He suddenly collapsed and died. According to her, it was not intentional. She only meant to knock him out, not kill him.
In panic, she and her friend Hanan, also an Indian nurse, dismembered Mahdi’s body and hid it in a water tank.
A month later, authorities found the remains and arrested both women near the Saudi border. News spread that Nimisha had murdered her “husband”, based on Mahdi’s forged documents.
In 2018, she was convicted of murder and sentenced to death. Her trial was deeply flawed:
No interpreter (proceedings were in Arabic).
Poor legal defense.
Her abuse and forged documents were never considered.
Her friend Hanan was sentenced to life in prison.
In 2020, an appeals court upheld her death sentence. A final Supreme Judicial Council ruling in November 2023 confirmed it. All legal routes closed.
The Indian government tried to help by sending a lawyer, but COVID-19 travel restrictions delayed any meaningful intervention. Nimisha remained on death row, awaiting execution.
Under Sharia law, a victim’s family can choose diyya (blood money) over execution. Nimisha’s supporters launched efforts to raise funds to buy her pardon.
Over the years, they collected over $58,000. At one point, offers reached ₹11 crore (≈$1.3 million).
But the victim’s family – especially Mahdi’s brother – refused any form of compensation, demanding qisas (execution).
Nimisha’s mother, Prema Kumari, sold her house to fight the case and begged to visit her daughter. After years of denial, she finally visited Sana’a in April 2024, along with Tomy and their daughter.
It was an emotional reunion after 11 years. They also tried to meet the Mahdi family to beg for forgiveness but were refused.
With her execution scheduled for July 16, 2025, desperate diplomatic and public efforts led to a last-minute postponement. A senior Islamic cleric from India and Yemeni intermediaries played a key role in securing the delay.
Meanwhile, India’s Supreme Court kept a watch on the case, urging the government to do everything possible. Public vigils, campaigns like #SaveNimishaPriya, and media coverage fueled support.
The case raised major issues:
Was the trial fair? (No interpreter, no legal defense.)
Was it premeditated murder or self-defense?
Does the death penalty fit a case involving long-term abuse?
Should a mother be hanged while her abuser walks free in memory?
What protections exist for migrant women working abroad?
As of now, Nimisha’s execution has been postponed until mid-August 2025. Behind bars, she clings to hope. Her daughter, now 12 years old, knows her mother’s life is at risk.
The final decision rests with Talal Mahdi’s family. If they agree to accept blood money, Nimisha could return to India. If not, the execution may proceed.
Her story has become a symbol of justice, gender rights, and the perils of migrant exploitation. Whether she lives or dies will reflect not just a verdict on her act, but on how the world responds to women in crisis.
IndiGo Airlines is one of India’s most popular and trusted airlines. It is known for…
Many countries have different names in different languages. One such country is Germany, which is…
Northeast India is a region full of beautiful landscapes, green forests and rich culture. A…
Jharkhand, a state in eastern India, has a well-developed railway network that connects it to…
Haryana is a well-developed state with a strong railway network that connects many important cities.…
India’s largest airline, IndiGo, has witnessed widespread flight cancellations and delays, affecting thousands of travellers…