Killed in drone strike hours before flying home from Kuwait, Ujjain man becomes latest Indian casualty of US-Iran…

3 min readBhopalJun 6, 2026 06:45 AM IST

The family said Ahmed was set to return to attend his nephew's wedding, scheduled to be held in Ratlam district on June 8.

For nearly three decades, Manzoor Ahmed worked as a tailor in Kuwait, sending money home to support his family in Madhya Pradesh. On Wednesday, just hours before he was due to board a flight home for his nephew’s wedding, the 55-year-old was killed when an Iranian drone strike hit Kuwait International Airport.

Ahmed, who was a resident of Raj Royal Colony in Ujjain district, was scheduled to fly from Kuwait to Mumbai on Wednesday evening before travelling onward by train. His family had been preparing to welcome him home after months apart.

“He called me on Tuesday evening and said he would be reaching home soon. He asked me to come to Nagda railway station to receive him,” his son, Mohammad Anas, told The Indian Express. “He was very happy and excited about coming home. We never imagined that would be our last conversation,” Anas said.

Relatives were making preparations for the celebrations when they received news of his death from officials.

According to family members, Ahmed had been living and working in Kuwait for nearly 30 years, earning a livelihood as a tailor and supporting his wife, son, two daughters and elderly mother in Ujjain.

The family said Ahmed was set to return to attend his nephew’s wedding, scheduled to be held in Ratlam district on June 8. Relatives were making preparations for the celebrations when they received news of his death from officials.

Anas said his father had spent most of his adult life working abroad to provide for the family. “He always put the family’s needs before his own. Whatever we have today is because of his hard work. He had saved up money and bought gifts for the wedding,” he said.

Family members said Ahmed had last visited home in October 2025. During that trip, he had promised to return more frequently in the future. Anas said his father’s last rites were conducted in Ujjain Friday. “We were assured by the Collector that whatever money was spent on the last rites will be reimbursed to us. I hope the government keeps its promise,” he said.

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Ahmed was among the casualties of the strike on Kuwait International Airport, which also left several people injured and marked another deadly spillover of the escalating conflict between the US and Iran to affect civilians in the Gulf.

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Anand Mohan J is an award-winning Senior Correspondent for The Indian Express, currently leading the bureau’s coverage of Madhya Pradesh. With a career spanning over eight years, he has established himself as a trusted voice at the intersection of law, internal security, and public policy.

Based in Bhopal, Anand is widely recognized for his authoritative reporting on Maoist insurgency in Central India. In late 2025, he provided exclusive, ground-level coverage of the historic surrender of the final Maoist cadres in Madhya Pradesh, detailing the backchannel negotiations and the "vacuum of command" that led to the state being declared Maoist-free.

Expertise and Reporting Beats

Anand’s investigative work is characterized by a "Journalism of Courage" approach, holding institutions accountable through deep-dive analysis of several key sectors:

National Security & Counter-Insurgency: He is a primary chronicler of the decline of Naxalism in the Central Indian corridor, documenting the tactical shifts of security forces and the rehabilitation of surrendered cadres.

Judiciary & Legal Accountability: Drawing on over four years of experience covering Delhi’s trial courts and the Madhya Pradesh High Court, Anand deconstructs complex legal rulings. He has exposed critical institutional lapses, including custodial safety violations and the misuse of the National Security Act (NSA).

Wildlife Conservation (Project Cheetah): Anand is a leading reporter on Project Cheetah at Kuno National Park. He has provided extensive coverage of the biological and administrative hurdles of rewilding Namibian and South African cheetahs, as well as high-profile cases of wildlife trafficking.

Public Health & Social Safety: His recent investigative work has uncovered systemic negligence in public services, such as contaminated blood transfusions causing HIV infections in thalassemia patients and the human cost of the fertilizer crisis affecting rural farmers.

Professional Background

Tenure: Joined The Indian Express in 2017.

Locations: Transitioned from the high-pressure Delhi City beat (covering courts, police, and labor issues) to his current role as a regional lead in Madhya Pradesh.

Notable Investigations: * Exposed the "digital arrest" scams targeting entrepreneurs.

Investigated the Bandhavgarh elephant deaths and the impact of kodo millet fungus on local wildlife.

Documented the transition of power and welfare schemes (like Ladli Behna) in Madhya Pradesh governance.

Digital & Professional Presence

Author Profile: Anand Mohan J at Indian Express

Twitter handle: @mohanreports ... Read More

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