Mother says her son was unmarried and family never knew Sweety.
TBS Report
21 October, 2026, 12:50 am
Last modified: 21 October, 2026, 12:56 am
The family of Bangladeshi man Nazrul Islam, who was executed in Saudi Arabia alongside Sweety Akter, has rejected social media claims that the two were newlyweds who travelled to the kingdom for an Umrah pilgrimage and were sentenced to death for indecent acts.
Nazrul's mother, Rahima Begum, said her son was unmarried and had never told the family about Sweety. She also alleged that he was a victim of conspiracy and did not receive justice or adequate legal assistance.
Nazrul and Sweety were reportedly beheaded on 14 October over allegations of immoral acts at a mosque compound in Makkah. Following news of their executions, social media posts claimed they were a newly married couple who had travelled to Saudi Arabia for an Umrah pilgrimage during their honeymoon. Some posts alleged they were sentenced to death for kissing the woman on the forehead.
Rahima Begum rejected those claims, saying the family did not know Sweety.
Nazrul was the eldest of four children of Abdul Bashir and Rahima Begum, residents of Birampur village in Sultanpur union of Brahmanbaria Sadar upazila.
He went to Saudi Arabia on 10 November 2022 through a Dhaka-based recruiting agency in an effort to improve his family's financial condition. He found work as a cleaner in Makkah.
According to relatives, Nazrul was arrested about six months after arriving in Saudi Arabia. His family learnt that he was in prison about a month after his arrest.
Rahima said her son used to call home every day after going to Saudi Arabia, but the calls suddenly stopped for nearly a month. He eventually called to say he was in jail, without being able to explain the reason.
She said police had stopped him while he was on his way to work and asked whether he was Nazrul before taking him away. According to her, the officers did not tell him what offence he was accused of.
Rahima said Nazrul was not married and the family had never heard him mention Sweety.
"We are hearing after his execution that he was given this punishment for immoral activities. But we do not know that woman. Nazrul never told us about her either. If he had married her, we would certainly have known," she said.
She also said her son did not understand Arabic and could not properly explain his innocence.
Rahima alleged that the Bangladesh embassy in Saudi Arabia had not contacted the family. She added that they did not know whom to approach or how to seek assistance.
The family had believed Nazrul had been in prison for more than three years and might have received a five-year sentence, after which he would be released, she said.
"I never knew my son would leave me with such an unbearable loss. Now I want my son's body back. I want to touch him one last time," she said.
Nazrul's paternal aunt, Abeda Begum, reportedly suffered a heart attack and died on the night of 14 October after learning that he had been executed.