Indian teacher found dead in Dubai apartment

Representative photo

A faculty member of an educational institute in Dubai was found dead in his apartment days after he stopped reporting for work.
A Dubai Police source confirmed the incident as suicide, as the door of the victim Antony Benjamin's apartment in Karama was locked from inside. Friends and colleagues of Benjamin came to know about his death on Thursday, two days after he did not report to work.
He committed suicide in his apartment on December 14, according to police sources. The police have not divulged how he committed suicide or the reasons behind it.
Speaking to Khaleej Times, a colleague of the deceased said that all his colleagues were saddened by the shocking news. "He was working normally in our institute until the last weekend and he had applied for leave for next Monday," his office said.
"Sunday was a public holiday and we did not notice his absence from work until Thursday," said an official from One Attempt, a Knowledge Village-based educational and training institute.
Vinay, a faculty member at One Attempt in Dubai, a franchisee of India's Jamboree Education, said the deceased was a qualified educationist with a Masters in English from Delhi University, Diploma in Phonetics from London and over 20 years' experience.
"Sunday [December 11] was a national holiday in UAE. He'd applied for leave for Monday, which was approved," said the official of the educational institution.
"He did not report to work on Tuesday and Wednesday. He has been a faculty here for four years," the colleague said, adding that they did not notice any signs of depression. "We are proceeding with completing the formalities with Dubai Police before repatriating the body. Our senior officials are travelling and once they come back, we will have a condolence meeting," said the institution representative.
His social media profile says he was a poet and had compiled a book "Empowering Academic Writing" based on his personal classroom experience and observation of students from Asian, Arab, European and oriental ethnicity. He was also engaged in social work - teaching visually and physically impaired children.
Originally from Jaipur, Rajasthan, the northern Indian state, Benjamin is survived by a daughter who lives in India.
- reporters@khaleejtimes.com

• Dubai