Who was Nazrul Islam Basir? Kin of Bangladeshi man executed by Saudi in Mecca allege Pakistani co-worker conspired against him

A week after Saudi Arabia executed a Bangladeshi couple over alleged "immoral acts", unconfirmed reports have claimed that they were allegedly caught kissing in the mosque.

Nazrul Islam Basir's family claimed that he had a dispute with a Pakistani co-worker, whom they accused of conspiring against him, reports Dhaka-based Prothom Alo.

The execution of the duo was carried out secretly without informing Bangladeshi authorities or their relatives.

Who was Nazrul Islam Basir?

Nazrul Islam Basir, 25, who hailed from Brahmanbaria Sadar upazila in Chattogram division is the eldest son of Abdul Basir and Rahima Begum. He had two brothers and two sisters. He flew to Saudi Arabia around four years ago and had been working as a maintenance employee at Masjid al-Haram in Mecca.

Relatives of Nazrul claimed that he was arrested eight months after he left for Saudi Arabia and was imprisoned till his execution, reports Prothom Alo. He finally spoke to his family members for around two minutes on October 11 and was executed on October 14. The sentence was passed under ta'zir, a discretionary punishment under Islamic law.

Information about Siti Akhtar was not immediately available in the public domain. However, Nazrul's father hinted that they were co-workers. However, Nazrul's father denied that he was married to Siti Akhtar, according to Jago News 24. "We do not even know her. I heard they worked at the same place," said the father.

Meanwhile, another family member anonymously told BBC Bangla that Nazrul had previously admitted to having an "affair" with the woman.

The Bangladeshi Consulate General in Jeddah had earlier said it was never notified about the executions beforehand. "In this regard, we have submitted a note verbale to the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs, requesting formal acknowledgement of the matter."