Indian mason’s suicide baffles family, friends

Fifty-year-old Kuruvimugal Gopi lived for his family so a so that he literally went out of his way to send home amounts that are not within the means of any ordinary mason, according to a friend and a social organisation that helped repatriate his body.

Gopi’s body was found hanging in a partially damaged room in the compound of a villa in which he lived in Ras Al Khaimah on November 9 morning. He left no suicide note.

The Ras Al Khaimah Police who registered a case of suicide allowed the members of Sevanam, a socio-cultural organisation involved in Indian community welfare activities, to search his belongings and passport in the villa, Community Welfare Convener of Sevanam S. Prasad told Khaleej Times.

“We were surprised to see receipts that showed that he used to regularly send amounts like Rs50,000 (Dh3,675) and Rs100,000 (Dh7,350) to his home every month. It shows he apparently had no financial issues,” said Prasad.

A friend of Gopi, who gave his name as Velayudhan, said Gopi used to work hard and send all the money he earned from here to his family in Kerala. “He came here 20 years ago. We had worked together in a company for the past nine years. After the company stopped doing contract works, he was working outside, though we both continued on the company’s visa.”

Gopi, he said, took external contracts and also rented a villa to sublet it for making extra income for his family. “He has built his house back home and married off the eldest among his three daughters. He was almost finishing the construction of a small shopping complex with three shops in his neighbourhood,” said Velayudhan. Gopi did not borrow from anyone and neither left any debt behind. On the day he ended his life, he even cleared a Dh200 balance to be given to a neighbouring grocery with which he kept an account for buying provisions.

“I’m not aware of any personal worries that bothered him except for some issues he had with his wife which he discussed a year ago and the allergy he had on his hand,” said Velayudhan.

However, he was quick to add that Gopi’s wife and daughters had told him that Gopi had nothing to worry about at home. “His daughter told me he used to discuss all his problems with her. But, when he called the last time, hours before his death, she said he spoke to all of them and they did not feel anything wrong with him.”

Prasad said the company that sponsored Gopi refused to bear the expenses for repatriating his body since he was no longer working for it. “The Indian Consulate in Dubai bore the expenses for embalming his body and sending the mortal remains. The Indian Community Welfare Committee issued two-way tickets for a distant relative of Gopi, who agreed to accompany his body.”

sajila@khaleejtimes.com