Young Indian commits suicide in Al Ain by hanging from a tree

Al Ain, June 29: A young worker from Kerala, India, was found dead in Al Ain, and believed to have committed suicide, sources said.

The 22-year-old Riyas Babu, who came to the UAE to work as a house driver about ten months ago and was staying with friends, was found hanging from a tree in Al Ain’s Al Sarooj area.

“Riyas came to the UAE to work as a house driver. His driving licence file was opened a few days ago. His brother too work as a house driver in Al Ain and it appears he did not have any major problems,” said an Indian social worker, handling such suicide cases.

He was found hanging on Thursday morning, the social worker said.

In the last couple of months, a number of Indians have committed suicide in Al Ain, and most of them were due to financial distress, labour related problems or mental depression.

Riyas was a son of Koya, Koori House, Perinthalmanna, Malappuram, Kerala.

“He went with his brother to meet a friend in Al Sarooj and they were staying at the friend’s place. While others went to the bed, Riyas was still sitting outside,” said sources familiar with the case. When he was not found in the morning, his brother and friend, tried to locate him in the neighbourhood and spotted his body hanging from a tree,” he said.

It seems he had problems in getting a permanent job without a driving licence and a permanent job was promised after getting a driving licence. His driving licence file was also opened.

The social workers told Emirates 24l7 that in an earlier case an indian who had committed suicide in Al Ain was preparing to go back to India but his Indian employer abs absconded and the company was blacklisted, so he could not go home. A colleague who worked in the same company was arrested by the police.

In another case of suicide involving an Indian lady in Al Ain, the social workers said the reason for ending her life was related to the mental depression following relationship issues.

The Indian community in the UAE has been baffled by a spate of suicides, with many social workers and associations running awareness campaigns against suicides.

Sevanam, Youth India and various other Indian community associations have organised seminars and campaigns against the suicide. Due to the financial and mental depression, many people attempt suicide. Since committing suicide is a criminal offense, many such cases are not even reported. The Indian missions in the UAE have often been criticised for not taking proper corrective measures to prevent people from killing themselves, according to Indian social workers.