With UAE’s compassion, Indian expat family cremates son in Sharjah after UK bike crash

Sharjah: In an extraordinary incident displaying the compassion of the UAE authorities, a grieving Indian expat family on Thursday cremated their son, who had died in a bike crash in the UK, in Sharjah.

The cremation of Jefferson Justin, 27, at the Sharjah Cremation Centre in Juwaiza’a is said to be the first of its kind known to several long-term residents, as the usual practice in such overseas incidents is to repatriate the mortal remains to the deceased’s home country.

What makes it even rarer is that Jefferson, fondly called Jeff, did not hold a UAE resident visa, even though he was a former student in Sharjah, where he was born and raised.

In fact, Jeff, who was working as a graphic designer in the UK after his postgraduation there, had secretly booked his flight ticket to the UAE for September 17, just hours before the bike crash in Leeds on his way back from work on July 25.

That was a secret plan known only to his father and two of his best friends. He had decided to return for good from the UK and surprise his mother and others on his scheduled arrival next month.

As first reported by Gulf News, the devastated family had been allowed by the UAE authorities to cremate Jeff’s mortal remains in Sharjah, as per their last wish for their son.

“We don’t have words to express our gratitude to the UAE authorities, especially the Sharjah government and the UAE Embassy in the UK,” said Jeff’s father, Justin Pereira, a senior accountant with the Sharjah government for 33 years.

“Without their compassion and support, we wouldn’t have been able to fulfil our wish to make Sharjah his last resting place,” he told Gulf News.

He also thanked the Indian consulates in Birmingham and Dubai for providing the No Objection Certificates for the transportation and cremation of the mortal remains, respectively.

In a similar incident that took place in February this year, authorities from the UAE and India had come together to help a grieving family fulfil the final wish of a long-term Indian expat businessman in the UAE to be cremated in Dubai after his death in Mumbai.

The unprecedented move required special permissions and swift coordination between Indian and UAE authorities, demonstrating the respect and recognition Hemchand Chaturbhuj Das Gandhi had earned over decades for his contributions.

On Thursday, close friends, old teachers and school principal joined Jeff’s family to pay last respects to him at the cremation centre.

They paid an emotional tribute to the young man who was known to be ‘full of life’ and ‘always smiling.’ The multi-talented youth was known for his skills and passion in dancing, rapping, designing, tattooing, and biking.

Some of his friends and teachers, who attended the cremation ceremony, paid emotional tributes by speaking about the good times they had spent with Jeff.

The family had requested privacy during the cremation ceremony.

"Due to the sudden nature of recent events, funeral arrangements were made on short notice. We kindly ask for privacy during this time. The service will be a small, private gathering with close family and friends. Thank you for understanding," the family had stated on social media on Wednesday.

His father said the family found closure after Jeff was given a fitting farewell in his favourite land. “But he will live on in our hearts,” added Justin, who hails from the south Indian state of Kerala.