Dubai: An Indian businessman who has helped repatriate more than 2,600 bodies from the UAE is especially busy this Ramadan.
Ashraf Sherry, 42, is currently dealing with up to four cases a day on average, despite fasting during the long, hot days. He usually handles only one case per day during the rest of the year.
Most of the dead are Indian and Bangladeshi expats, mainly from the labour class, he added. The majority of the cases are heart attack and accident victims, according to Sherry. He has dealt with some 40 nationalities, and in some cases could barely communicate with the people because of language barriers.
“I don’t go into the details of the cases. I get calls from people — I don’t know who they are — who want my help. Everyone has my number now. I go see them and we start the process,” Sherry, who is from the south Indian state of Kerala, said.
Sherry helps people who have lost loved ones with the formalities related to repatriating the body. He said many people find the formalities related to repatriating the body painstaking, especially during this difficult time. The process involves getting various documents and clearances from police, hospitals and consulates or embassies, in different emirates, as the case may be.
Sherry has become a familiar face to the authorities and was even awarded recently by the Indian prime minister. His efforts have also been recognised by Dubai Police, he said.
Sherry has been helping out “full time” for the last six years but started coming to residents’ aid after the death of a relative of his 14 years ago. He felt that people should extend a helping hand in others’ hour of need.
Sherry said he has never taken payment for his assistance even though he has sometimes been offered large sums of money, including a $5,000 (around Dh18,360) offer by an English widow.
“One person told me to at least take Dh50 for the taxi. But I’m not doing this for money. I just want people to remember me in their dua [prayer].”
The Ajman-based expat has delegated his brother and brother-in-law to run his car workshop and sewage tanker businesses so he can volunteer full-time.
Sherry starts his day around 8am and comes home around 8pm, often ending his fast in his car with some dates and water. He barely has the energy to speak towards the end of the day and agreed to an interview only late at night so he could freshen up first.
“Sometimes I have to count on friends to take my children to school. They know I’m busy. And my family is very supportive, they understand I have to do this,” Sherry said.
“I’m at the cargo, morgue, police station, in different emirates — everywhere. It’s a lot of running around but I get everything done in one or two days. Otherwise it can take people a week to 10 days. They don’t know the process and they often make mistakes or misunderstand the procedure.”
In a statement, the General Headquarters (GHQ) of Sharjah Police praised Sherry for his ongoing efforts.
“In terms of interest and appreciation for all good initiatives, and close cooperation by community members that contributes to the support of police efforts and promotes security and stability, [the GHQ] praises the noble efforts of Mr Ashraf Sherry, who offered his charitable and humanitarian work to affected families,” the statement said.
Meanwhile, Al Qasimi Hospital and Al Kuwaiti Hospital, both in Sharjah, said Sherry “is well known to us, and he is in constant communication with us in order to facilitate the extraction of documents for transporting bodies of those who have passed away to their countries. He is familiar with all the related procedures and works 24 hours a day”.
