Sweety Akhtar: A Mother’s Search for a Better Future Ends in Uncertainty in Saudi Arabia

Sweety Akhtar left Bangladesh for Saudi Arabia in 2023 to earn money and secure a better future for her daughter. She worked as a cleaner at the Grand Mosque in Mecca. But a few months later, she was arrested and sent to prison.

Reports published in October 2026 say Saudi Arabia executed two Bangladeshi nationals on October 14. One was identified in reports as Sweety Akhtar, who had been detained on allegations of adultery. However, her family says it has not received official confirmation of her death, and questions about her identity and the case remain unanswered.

A Difficult Life Before Moving Abroad

Sweety came from a poor family in Tangail, Bangladesh. She married while she was still studying in Class 8. After her first marriage ended, she returned to her parents’ home with her daughter.

Her second marriage also failed when her husband reportedly stopped contacting her. With limited money and a child to support, Sweety decided to look for work abroad.

Her father borrowed 150,000 Bangladeshi taka to help send her to Saudi Arabia. She left in March 2023 through a recruitment agency, hoping that a job overseas would improve her family’s financial situation.

Arrested in August 2023

According to a confidential document from the Bangladesh Consulate General in Jeddah, Sweety was detained on August 2, 2023, over allegations of adultery. She was held at a women’s prison in Jeddah.

Her family knew she was in prison, but says it did not know she was facing the death penalty. Sweety reportedly continued to contact her relatives and did not tell them that an execution might be imminent.

Her father said he last spoke to her on October 13, the day before the reported executions. He said she gave him no indication that this would be their final conversation.

Family Says It Was Not Informed

Reports say Saudi Arabia announced the execution of two Bangladeshi nationals on October 14. Bangladesh’s diplomatic mission reportedly received no advance notice and later sought copies of the court judgments and details of the cases.

Sweety’s family learned about the reported execution through other people and social media. Her mother has appealed for help bringing her daughter’s body back to Bangladesh.

However, reporting published after the initial news raised further questions. The family says it has not received official confirmation, and the woman’s identity has not been conclusively verified by Bangladeshi authorities. The full court records and details of the allegations have also not been made public.

Questions Remain Unanswered

Sweety’s story has raised serious questions about what happened after her arrest, whether her family was properly informed of the proceedings, and why Bangladesh was reportedly not notified before the executions.

For her family, the uncertainty is especially painful. They borrowed money to help Sweety find work abroad, hoping she would return with a better future for her daughter. Now they are seeking official answers and clarity about her fate.