A pall of gloom has descended on Patti Lower village near Nangal after news that Gurpreet Singh alias Babbi, who had gone abroad in search of a livelihood, has been sentenced to death in a narcotics case in Saudi Arabia.The family received the information after the Ropar Deputy Commissioner got a communication regarding the death sentence from the Indian Embassy in Muscat on September 24. The Nangal Tehsildar subsequently informed Gurpreet’s family about the development.Gurpreet, son of late Jarnail Singh, had gone to Muscat around four years ago to earn a livelihood. According to his mother Jaswant Kaur, Gurpreet’s father had already died and he is her only son. The family has now appealed to the Central and Punjab Governments to intervene urgently and seek commutation of his death sentence.According to the family and villagers, Gurpreet had been working as a truck driver and used to travel from Muscat to Saudi Arabia. Around two years ago, narcotic substances were allegedly recovered from the truck in which he was travelling, following which a drug smuggling case was registered against him. He remained in jail for nearly two years before being sentenced to death.The family, however, maintains that Gurpreet is innocent and alleges that someone had deliberately placed narcotics in his truck to implicate him. Villagers described him as a religious-minded young man and expressed concern over the fate of the family, particularly his elderly mother.Village sarpanch Monka Devi said the villagers were deeply disturbed by the development and urged the authorities to take up the matter with the Saudi Arabian authorities through diplomatic channels.Jaswant Kaur said she had met Punjab Cabinet Minister Harjot Singh Bains and BJP district president Ajayveer Singh Lalpura and sought their intervention for securing relief for her son. She has also appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann to intervene in the matter.The family has sought all possible legal and diplomatic assistance to get Gurpreet’s death sentence commuted and facilitate his return to India.The news has triggered concern in Patti Lower village. The residents have appealed to the governments to make every possible effort to save the young man from the gallows and provide assistance to his mother.