Abu Dhabi: The pregnant wife and young daughter involved in the Ras Al Khaimah suicide case could not go home because the husband had kept their passports with a private moneylender as security guarantee, the woman’s father told Gulf News Monday.
“We were eagerly waiting for my daughter and granddaughter ever since we came to know that she was pregnant, but Sreeja [Nair] told me their passports were with a moneylender,” Varanamkudath Omanakkuttan, said on phone from Ernakulam District in Kerala.
As Gulf News reported, the decomposed bodies of Anil Kumar Nair, 44, his wife Sreeja, 31, and daughter Anusree, 8, were found at their residence. Police sources said according to forensic investigations, the man and his wife allegedly hanged their daughter, and then committed suicide by hanging themselves in their house due to financial problems.
Omanakkuttan said the moneylender, a fellow countryman, visited his home twice a few months ago and complained that his son-in-law did not pay back Rs1.5 million (around Dh120,000) he owed him. “He talked in a threatening tone,” the father-in-law said. He said he did not know whether their passports were with the same moneylender.
“My daughter told me that Nair had taken Rs500,000 [Dh40,000] from the moneylender for an urgent matter, but he is asking for Rs1.5 million with interest,” Omanakkuttan said.
Meanwhile, Ras Al Khaimah Police Monday told Gulf News that Nair had taken around Dh300,000 in loans from banks to purchase trailers. One of his trailers was involved in a major accident in Oman, causing huge financial losses, a police official who did not want to be named, said.
Nair’s Indian landlord, who became a family friend, said Nair and wife had told him that the accident had caused them financial trouble.
“They said a driver was killed in the accident and cleaner was seriously injured, incurring medical expenses for long time,” Jaffer Abdul Salam said.
He said that he was aware that Nair had taken money from credit cards and some individuals too. “But he never disclosed the details whenever I asked [to arrange help from any community organisations and philanthropists,” Abdul Salam said.
Sreeja’s father said that a few weeks ago Nair said that he and his family would leave the UAE and return home to settle due to their financial problems. He said he would first send his wife and daughter.
“We had hopes in his words that he would pay the moneylenders money, get their passports and send them home. But…,” Omanakkuttan said.
He disclosed that Nair had already disposed of his property back home and brought a huge amount of money to the UAE to solve his financial problems.
“He visited home last October and we allowed him to register our property [wife’s family property] on his name and he mortgaged it to a bank for a loan,” Omanakkuttan said.
“He took the money also to the UAE to clear [his] debts, but I don’t know the amount,” he said.
However, a relative in the UAE, said that he had brought around Rs1.5-2 million after mortgaging his wife’s family property back home. He also sold off his own property and brought about Rs3 million to clear his debts.
But, Ramesh Kumar, one of his relatives in the UAE, said that his problems never ended. Lately, he stopped contacting his friends and relatives and even did not receive calls from them. He also wanted to sell his car but could not do so due to some legal issues.
Forensic report raises doubts
The Public Prosecution in Ras Al Khaimah has started an investigation into the deaths in the emirate.
Al Ma'murah police station in the emirate referred the case to the public prosecution which will investigate the motives behind the alleged murder of the child and the suicide by the husband and wife, a prosecutor who did not want to be named, told Gulf News Monday.
The police had not found anything suspicious in the incident.
But a forensic laboratory report has raised certain suspicion about the death, the official said.
Ras Al Khaimah Indian Association, which is making efforts to repatriate the bodies, said it has applied for out passes from the Indian Consulate in Dubai for Sreeja and Anusree as they don't have passports.
Paperwork done
"All paperwork in Ras Al Khaimah was completed Monday. We expect the bodies can be repatriated by Tuesday or Wednesday," Gopa Kumar, General Secretary of the association said.
He said the association would pay the charges of embalming, and the consulate would arrange flight tickets on Indian airlines.
Kumar reiterated that families having financial or other sorts of problems should approach Indian community organisations for help.
