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Kerala urged to speed up murder probe of expat’s wife

DUBAI - Expressing their dissatisfaction at the Kerela government's inefficiency of solving a murder case involving an NRI's family in Pallipuram, a group of Non-Resident Kerallites (NRKs) in Dubai are demanding justice for the victims.

Members of the Mala NRK Action Council, a committee formed in Dubai nearly two weeks ago, are demanding that the government own up to their responsibility of ensuring security for families of NRI's working in the Gulf.

Ashraf, an employee with an Abu Dhabi based firm, faced a harrowing nightmare in March when he heard that his pregnant wife, Fousia, and elderly mother, Nabeesa, were found brutally murdered in his home district of Mala. Reported as a case of robbery, the attackers cut Nabeela's ears in an apparent bid to steal the earrings while the rest of the ornaments were also removed from the house.

Ashraf's sister-in-law Noorjahan and her two young children were also found in an unconscious state with injuries. Working in the UAE with his brother Noushad, Ashraf told Khaleej Times that his wife, mother and sister-in-law stayed alone in their home with their children and he was deeply concerned with the way the police and the government handled the case.

"I received the news of my mother and wife's death while I was at work and was devastated to see that the police did not do much to solve their case. I even approached the chief minister and various senior police officers to receive any developments on the case, but was not given any additional information than what I already knew. It has now been nearly three months since their death, and the killers have not been caught yet," he said disconsolately.

Planning to hold an agitation in Kerela against the government's inefficiency, Puttur Abdul Rehman, chairman of the Mala NRK Action Council, said that it was high time that NRK's demand some sort of security for their families back home who have to face an uphill battle everyday.

"There have been nearly 218 cases such as Ashraf's which have taken place in Kerela and it is high time that the government wakes up to our concern. In majority of the cases, the earning members are all present in the Gulf due to which our families feel very insecure.

"All we are demanding is that due justice and compensation should be provided to the victims as this is the least the government can do for the NRKs," he added. Members of the committee will soon be leaving for Kerela where they are planning to hold talks with the Chief Minister to transfer the case to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

"We hope to highlight cases such as Ashraf's and others which require urgent action by the government. All we want is protection for our families and the neglect that the government has shown towards us has been contributing to such cases," said Mr Rehman.

The UAE itself houses nearly 1.1 million Indians, out of which the majority constitutes Keralites, who many a times leave their families behind to seek brighter prospects. In the absence of a male member at home, these families are left vulnerable resulting in an alarming number of murder and robbery cases taking place.

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