New Delhi, Jul 8 (PTI) India is engaged in efforts to prevent the execution of Nimisha Priya, an Indian nurse convicted in a murder case in Yemen whose death sentence is set to be carried out on July 16, people familiar with the matter said on Tuesday.

Priya, hailing from Kollengode in Kerala's Palakkad district, was found guilty of murdering a Yemeni man in July 2017. He was her business partner.

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In 2020, a Yemeni court handed her the death sentence, and the country's Supreme Judicial Council dismissed her appeal in November 2023.

The 38-year-old nurse is presently lodged in a jail in Sana'a, the Yemeni capital city that is under the control of Iran-backed Houthis.

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"We have been closely following the matter since then. We have been in regular touch with local authorities and her family members and rendered all possible assistance," said a government source.

"We continue to closely follow the matter," it said.

The people cited above said New Delhi is engaged in efforts to prevent the execution that has been scheduled for July 16.

There are certain complicacies in the case as the Indian side has no formal contacts with the Houthi rebels.

Priya's mother Premakumari travelled to Yemen last year as part of efforts to secure her release.

The Indian side had even explored the option of securing Priya's release through "diyat" or paying "blood money". But that also ran into some problems, it is learnt.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)