A 26-year-old man from Uttar Pradesh’s Mahmudabad area is alleged by his family to have been killed in a suspected missile attack in Riyadh, though full official confirmation is still being completed.
The deceased has been named as Ravi Gopal, a resident of Baghain village within the Mahmudabad police station limits. According to his family, Ravi had been employed as a driver at a plastics factory in Riyadh since September 2025.
Ravi’s wife, Ritu, said he last spoke to the family on March 18 at around 9:30 pm. “The call lasted about 20 minutes and then disconnected. When we called back the phone was switched off, and we could not reach his friends,” she recounted. The family says they were informed the next day by Ravi’s friend, Ram Niwas, who also works in Saudi Arabia, that Ravi had died in a missile strike near the factory.
Ravi’s elder brother, Manmohan Dayal, told the family that Ravi was at work when debris from the suspected missile attack buried him. He said Ravi was taken to a hospital, where doctors declared him dead, and that Ram Niwas identified the body.
Local authorities in Mahmudabad have contacted the family to collect details about Ravi’s employment and the incident for verification, Dayal said. A relative who is currently working in Saudi Arabia and is about 1,400 km from Riyadh is expected to travel to the capital to help confirm the circumstances and assist the family.
Ravi, the family’s sole breadwinner, is survived by his wife and a four-year-old son. The family has appealed to authorities for compensation and assistance in repatriating his body to their village.
Mehmudabad Sub-Divisional Magistrate B.K. Singh told the press that the administration remains in regular contact with the family and has gathered and shared their details with the government to coordinate next steps.
At an inter-ministerial briefing, Aseem R. Mahajan, Additional Secretary (Gulf) in the Ministry of External Affairs, said the government had received information late on March 18 about the “tragic demise of an Indian national” during an attack in Riyadh. He offered condolences and said the Indian Mission in Riyadh is in touch with the family and is coordinating with local authorities to facilitate the early return of the mortal remains.
The Indian Embassy in Riyadh also posted on social media that an Indian national was killed on March 18. The family continues to seek clear confirmation and support from authorities as they await the return of Ravi’s body.
