Indian woman from Kerala dies in Sharjah, repatriated after a month

Sharjah: The mortal remains of an Indian expat woman, who died in Sharjah a month ago, were flown home late on Monday night, according to her family back home and community members here.

The deceased has been identified as SKJ, 31, a mother of three children aged 10, eight and five, who live with their father back home. SKJ, who was on a visit visa, died at a hospital in Sharjah on March 7.

According to her death notification issued by the Indian Consulate in Dubai, she died due to hypovolemic shock which resulted in gastrointestinal haemorrhage leading to cardiorespiratory arrest.

Speaking to Gulf News over the phone from Kerala, her husband said SKJ had been hospitalised on February 27 after ingesting a corrosive substance. She is believed to have had a dispute with a friend, following which she drank a disinfectant liquid cleaner, he said.

The husband, a mason working for daily wages, said his wife had worked with a daycare facility in the UAE for a couple of years.

"She came home and stayed with us for nearly two months. Then she went back, saying some people there owed her money. She also promised to find a job and bring me and the children over," he said.

He said SKJ had left for the UAE a day before Ramadan began. In the early days of her hospitalisation, she was still reachable by phone. "She used to help the children with their English lessons even from the hospital," her husband recalled.

Since she was on a visit visa, no employer was obligated to support the family, leaving her husband to navigate the process largely on his own, with no funds and few people to turn to.

"When I checked the ticket rates, they had skyrocketed. I don't have anyone close to help me. My brother is building a house with donations from people in our area. My father recently had a stroke and is paralysed on one side."

He said he broke the news of their mother's passing to the older children gradually. "My youngest doesn't know yet," he said.

The repatriation finally came through after the husband reached out to VD Satheesan, the Opposition Leader of the Kerala Legislative Assembly.

Salam Pappinissery, CEO of YAB Legal Services in Sharjah, said his firm stepped in on the Opposition Leader's recommendation. "After the legal procedures were completed, there was no company to take responsibility since she was on a visit visa, and the family had no money to repatriate the body, which is what caused the delay. My firm helped with the paperwork and funded the repatriation," he added.

The mortal remains were repatriated on a flight from Sharjah International Airport to Cochin International Airport in Kerala late on Monday night.