Family files complaint after Indian woman found dead in Sharjah flat

Sharjah: An Indian woman from Kerala was found dead in her apartment in Sharjah on Saturday. The day marked her 30th birthday and her first day at a new job, her family confirmed.

The deceased, Athulya Sekhar, lived in the Rolla area. Her sister and brother-in-law, who also live in Sharjah, said they discovered her death that morning.

Athulya was the mother of a 10-year-old girl. Her death has shocked the Malayali expat community in the UAE. It comes just weeks after the death of another Malayali woman and her 16-month-old daughter in a suspected murder-suicide, also in Sharjah. That case had stemmed from an alleged marital conflict.

Athulya’s parents in Kollam, Kerala, have accused her husband of domestic abuse and filed a case against him. He is a civil engineer working in Dubai. Her family in Sharjah said they will file a complaint with the local police and are also contacting the Indian Consulate in Dubai.

“We will be visiting the Sharjah Police to complete the formalities of filing the case tomorrow. We are also approaching the Indian Consulate in Dubai”, her brother-in-law said on Sunday.

The Indian Consulate released a statement saying, “We express our sincere condolences to the family of Ms Athulya Sekhar. Our team is in touch with the family and Sharjah authorities. We are extending all the possible help".

Athulya and her daughter had been living in Kerala earlier. Both held UAE residence visas. Her brother-in-law said Athulya only began living with her husband in the UAE a few months ago, while her daughter remained with her grandparents in Kerala.