Overview
- Vijay Kumar Mahato, 27, from Giridih in Jharkhand, had been working for Hyundai Engineering and Construction on transmission line projects in the Jeddah region.
- Family members and local reports say he was caught in gunfire between Saudi police and an extortion gang tied to the illegal liquor trade, and he sent his wife a final voice note saying the bullet was meant for someone else.
- The shooting occurred on October 15 near his worksite, he was taken to a hospital, and the family was informed of his death on October 24.
- The Consulate General of India in Jeddah has termed the death suspicious, and the Public Prosecution Office in Jumum, Makkah, retains the body pending completion of the investigation and issuance of a Police Clearance Certificate.
- Jharkhand’s migrant-control authorities have initiated repatriation steps, but the family says it will not accept the body without written compensation assurance from the employer, which has not publicly commented.