The beheading of an Indian national, convicted of smuggling...

The beheading of an Indian national, convicted of smuggling heroin into Saudi Arabia, at a public place in al Khobar highlights the need for creating awareness among job seekers from being exploited as drug carriers.
"We need to create awareness in India on the harsh penalty for drug smuggling in Saudi Arabia. Though the majority of offenders are from Kerala, there are people from Uttar Pradesh and Mumbai, many of them in the age group of 25 to 35", Syed Akbaruddin, the Indian Consul General in Jeddah said.
Muhammed Ali, a 25-year-old from Pattambi, Palakkad, Kerala left for Saudi Arabia three years ago with dreams of making it rich but was caught on arrival and put into the Al Khobar prison for allegedly smuggling in heroin.
He was to be executed at the centre of the city but as construction work was going on there, he was put to death by the sword as is the custom in Saudi Arabia, at the Al Khobar corniche at 10 p.m. Sunday.
"We are not informed about these executions in advance and even the convicts are also not aware when exactly it will take place. However, after we started pursuing the cases, nowadays the embassy is given a list of all Indian prisoners", Akbaruddin said.
"Of the about 300 names in the latest list, about 20 people are booked for drug related offences. Drug smuggling is viewed very seriously and gets death penalty while drug peddlers get off with lesser sentences. But these lists are often dated.
"We go the jail and meet the prisoners to find out the circumstances in which they were arrested. But when we talk to authorities for clemency, they are generally not sympathetic on drug smuggling cases," he added.