Bodies of Indian murder-suicide family flown home

The bodies of a mother, father and daughter found hanged in their Ras Al Khaimah home have been repatriated to India.

DUBAI // The bodies of a mother, father and daughter found hanged in their home in Ras Al Khaimah were scheduled to be repatriated to India on Wednesday night.

The Indian Consulate in Dubai has been working with UAE authorities since the bodies of Anil Kumar, 44, his wife, Sreeja, 31, and their daughter Anusree, 8, were found by police on Friday. They had died four days earlier.

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The family had been struggling with financial problems.

The completed medical report was sent to the public prosecutor in RAK on Monday. The case is not closed but the bodies have been released.

A spokesman for the Indian Consulate said necessary documents and other formalities had been completed to allow for repatriation.

"The death certificates issued by the local authorities reveal that the deaths were suicide," the spokesman said yesterday.

He said troubled members of the Indian community should always be aware that help was at hand.

"The consulate has approached this issue … by encouraging the Indian community to reach out to the consulate or the Indian Workers Resource Centre, or even the Indian associations," the spokesman said.

He said anyone who needed help should call the IWRC helpline on 800 46342.

The couple had sold their property in India and their passports in the UAE were being held by a moneylender, said Bhargavan Gopakumar, general secretary of the RAK Indian Association.

An emergency travel certificate was arranged so the bodies could be flown home without passports.

The bodies were sent to Sharjah after they were embalmed at the Ibrahim Obaidullah Hospital in RAK. The Indian Association paid Dh2,000 for the embalming. The deceased had no other family members in the UAE.

The neighbour who alerted police was to accompany the bodies to India, Mr Gopakumar said.

Last month the Indian Association and the consulate arranged for the repatriation of another family who were heavily in debt and had their passports taken by money lenders.

Mr Gopakumar stressed that no problem was insurmountable.

"People must come to share their problem," he said. "If anybody wants any help, if they want any help from our side, the door is open and we will do all possible help.

"I ask the people of RAK to please come forward and we can solve any problem."