- Ravi Gopal, a 26-year-old Indian worker in Riyadh, was killed in a suspected missile strike near his factory.
- His mortal remains were brought back to Sitapur, Uttar Pradesh, with help from the Ministry of External Affairs.
- He is survived by his wife and young son, with the family seeking government assis
The mortal remains of Ravi Gopal, an Indian national from Uttar Pradesh killed in a suspected missile attack in Riyadh, were returned to his family in Sitapur, with assistance from the Ministry of External Affairs on Wednesday. A 26-year-old man had been working as a driver in a plastic factory in the Saudi capital since last year.
Ravi's wife, Ritu, recalled speaking to him on the night of March 18, 2026, around 9:30 PM. While they were talking, a loud explosion occurred in the background. The call abruptly disconnected, and Ravi's phone became unreachable. "The call got disconnected after about 20 minutes, and when we tried calling back, we found the phone switched off. We also tried contacting his friends there, but could not reach anyone," she added. Ravi was the sole breadwinner of his family, now survived by his wife and a four-year-old son.
According to the family, following a missile strike near his factory, Ravi was recovered from the rubble and transported to a hospital, where he was tragically pronounced dead. A friend, Ram Niwas, who also works in Saudi Arabia, confirmed Ravi's death in a missile strike near the factory the next day.
The embassy officials and the local administration contacted the family to inform them that the arrangements for returning the body from Riyadh to Lucknow would arrive on Wednesday morning.
Ravi's elder brother, Manmohan Dayal, said that the administration handed over the mortal remains to him in Lucknow on Wednesday morning. “The body was received around 9:30 am. We are now taking it to our village in an ambulance and expect to reach by noon,” as per a PTI report. The cremation has been held today, and preparations are already underway in the village.
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The Ministry of External Affairs had said after receiving the information regarding the “tragic demise of an Indian national” in Riyadh on March 18, it expressed condolences to the bereaved family. With the coordination of the Indian Mission in Riyadh and local authorities, the body of Ravi was flown to India. The district administration is assisting the family with legal procedures as they await a response to their request for financial aid and government assistance.
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