Hyderabadi woman’s Dubai drugs case ordeal ends, reunites with family

Hyderabadi woman Ameena Begum, jailed for life in Dubai on drug charges, was pardoned during Ramzan and returned to Hyderabad after a dramatic legal battle and cancelled flights.

By Gulf Correspondent

Dubai: A Hyderabadi woman, who boarded a flight to work as a beautician in Dubai, instead ended up as a ganja smuggler and was subsequently sentenced to life imprisonment, has finally returned home after a series of dramatic twists.

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Ameena Begum (23), a resident of Kishanbagh in Hyderabad and a single mother of a five-year-old, was looking after her parents following her separation from her husband. She was trapped by some people in the city who offered her a beautician’s job in Dubai in May 2025.

She was taken from Hyderabad to Bangkok, Thailand via New Delhi and was accompanied by another Hyderabadi youth named Dilawar Khan, who was handed two parcels reportedly containing burqas, black veils worn by Muslim women. From Thailand, the duo travelled to Dubai on May 18 last year. Upon arrival and following baggage screening, the duo was detained by Dubai police and later a local court sentenced them to life imprisonment.

The family had sought the help of Hyderabad-based MBT leader Amjedullah Khan, who, with the assistance of Mohammed Ifteqar, a legal professional in Dubai and part of the empanelled legal advising team at the Indian Consulate, filed an appeal in her case but it was rejected.

Since both passengers had a single PNR and travelled together, the prosecution argued that Ameena was part of trafficking. Ameena then appealed in the Court of Cassation and also filed a mercy petition with the Dubai Ruler’s court, stating that neither was the baggage checked in her name nor did she touch it.

Considering her plea, the Dubai ruler granted her pardon as part of the holy month of Ramzan, during which rulers of Dubai and other Emirates in the UAE often grant pardons to convicted prisoners on account of good conduct and case history, allowing them to start a new life, said sources.

Ameena was released and her family in India had booked an Indigo flight from Dubai to Hyderabad, however, due to prevailing volatile conditions in the region and restricted airspace, the flight was cancelled as Indigo and other Indian carriers suspended their operations to Dubai and other parts of West Asia.

A new ticket from Emirates was booked again and Ameena finally arrived in Hyderabad on Wednesday, March 25. She was welcomed by her family, along with Amjedullah Khan and Ifteqar, after she landed at the Hyderabad airport.