Good Samaritans for the dead

dubai — When Ashraf Thamarassery, an Indian national and business owner in Ajman, receives a phone call chances are that he is being called to be informed of someone’s death.

A native of Kozhikode in north Kerala, Thamarassery owns a garage in Ajman and has been quietly helping expatriates of all nationalities to repatriate the mortal remains of their loved ones for over 16 years. From blue collared workers to the privileged elite, Thamarassery has helped repatriate 4,700 bodies to 38 countries across the world.

However, this unsung hero shot to international fame after he helped sign out Indian superstar Sridevi’s body back home to India. The actor’s death, caused by accidental drowning on February 24, was a reason for much media speculation as her remains were placed at the General Department of Forensic Science and Criminology for a little over three days.

“For them, you or me, it’s all the same and everyone is equal. If someone dies in their room, they will take them to the hospital and then be checked at the police mortuary,” said Thamarassery. “It’s the same process in Dubai, Sharjah or any emirate . ... Whether you’re poor or rich, it doesn’t matter.”

His phone is constantly busy, and ironically, while he was helping with the repatriation of Sridevi’s body, he helped with five others as well. Thamarassery and several other social workers, including social workers Nazer Nandi and Naseer Vatanappally, waited patiently for the release of her body from February 24 to 28. This, however, is not a new phenomenon for them.

“We got so many calls from journalists and well-wishers to learn the status of the case. But in many cases, bodies of expatriates stay in the morgue for months because no one is there to claim it,” said Vatanappally. More recently, he had helped repatriate the body of Manoharan Muthuramalingam, an Indian national who had lived in the UAE without a residence visa for 12 years.

In this case, Vatanappally even paid for the repatriation services, including documentation, ticket fare, for the coffin, and the charges for embalming. “It will be reimbursed by the Indian diplomatic missions, but the main point is that there are many individuals and families like this who end up in tragic circumstances. More awareness must be raised to avoid such situations,” he added.

For them, you or me, it’s all the same and everyone is equal. Whether you’re poor or rich, it doesn’t matter. Ashraf Thamarassery, social worker

In many cases, bodies of expatriates stay in the morgue for months because no one is there to claim it. Naseer Vatanappally, social worker