Wednesday, May 18, 2011

In Dubai

As many as 27 Indians took their lives in the first quarter of this year, adding to the 110 who committed suicide last year, the Indian consulate revealed Monday.
The stats were revealed following a spate of suicide cases in the last 10 days in which two executives and a labourer committed suicide, indicating an alarming pervasion of the tendency across the social strata.
Though, the stats show a steady decrease in the numbers over the past three years, but Indians are still number one by far when it comes to taking their own lives.
Figures show that of the 1,420 Indian deaths registered at the consulate in 2008, 147 were suicides. In 2009, the number of suicides came down to 113, however, the number of deaths registered also dropped to 1,285.
“Any suicide is a worry. We are working to reach out to people to take help from councellors,” said Sanjay Verma, Consul General of India.
He said that the majority of those taking their lives are blue-collar workers, who take the step either because of a financial stress or personal issues.
However, the rising profiles of recent suicides have alarmed the authorities, indicating that the tendency is pervasive and not confined any particular strata of the society.
Among the recent cases that stand out is the suicide of 38-year-old high profile executive Llewelyn Couto, who jumped from the 40th floor of Icon 1 building at Jumeirah Lakes Towers.
Friends of Couto, who remember him as a ‘funny guy’ who laughed and made others do the same, are in a shock of their life as news of the suicide spread.
Couto left behind a six-month pregnant wife and 18-month-old child and worked in a senior position at the fashion chain Splash.
The 38-year-old’s death leap follows two other such cases in which a 30-year-old Indian foreman jumped off the 147th floor of Burj Khalifa, and a labourer was found hanging from the ceiling in Sharjah.
Though, the details of the third case were not revealed, both Couto and the foreman’s suicides seemingly stem from depression and frustration, seen as common causes in most suicide cases.

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Another Suicide?

Man jumps to death from 30th floor in JLTA


A woman saw the man jump and called the police. Initial investigations do not show foul play.
 
An Indian executive allegedly committed suicide on Sunday by jumping from the 30th floor of a building in Jumeirah Lake Towers at around 1.30pm, reported 'Khaleej Times'.
A woman saw the man jump and called the police, who moved the body to Department of Forensic Medicine. Initial investigations do not show foul play.
A letter allegedly written by the 45-year-old man reveals he was taking his own life following a dispute with his wife and due to certain financial problems, said police sources.
Found hanging
Meanwhile, Sharjah Police are investigating into the death of an Indian worker last Thursday. The 26-year-old man was found hanging from the ceiling of his room, which he shared with a few others. His co-workers and roommates are being interrogated.
Last week, another Indian reportedly committed suicide in a plunge of 39 floors from a segment of the world's tallest skyscraper in Dubai. Dubai Police, Emaar Properties, which owns and manages Burj Khalifa, and a resident, confirmed the report to Emirates 24|7.

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Financial Woes Behind Most Dubai Suicides 

Account for 80% of cases which are concentrated between age group of 20 and 40  

About 80 per cent of suicides concentrate between the age group of 20 and 40 years. Financial woes topped the list of causes that drove people to suicides in the emirate, according to a forensic expert.
There were 477 suicide cases in Dubai in the last four years, according to Dubai Police records. While 2009 saw a decline in the number of cases (113 cases) from 2006 and 2007, which saw 102 and 114 cases respectively, the number of suicide cases had peaked in 2008 with 148 cases investigated.
Dr Ashraf Ibrahim Hassan, forensic medical examiner, Forensic Medicine Department, Dubai Police, said 60 per cent of cases are due to financial reasons, 30 per cent due to emotional reasons, only 10 per cent are due to other causes.
Physical methods of terminating life were the most common and provide direct evidence, while chemical methods offer latent evidence of action. In cases of poisoning, it is difficult to prove if it was a suicide case or just an overdose of drugs, said Dr Hassan.
Similarly to rule out suicide in cases of death due to fall or drowning takes time as witnesses play a  crucial role. Also in such cases detailed investigation with respect to the victims' family history and his immediate environment is time consuming.
Dr Hassan said: "Suicides formed only less than 10 per cent of the total cases of deaths submitted to the Department of Forensic Medicine (criminal and normal). Natural deaths formed 70 per cent and murder included 20 per cent, while deaths due to accidents (vehicle) represented just 10 per cent. While 80 per cent of suicides are concentrated in the age group from 20 to 40 years, drug abuse form 20-25 per cent of deaths."
When it comes to taking one's life, men are more aggressive, he said. Of the 113 cases reported last year, only nine involved women, said Dr Hassan, which is less than 10 per cent. Suicides are most common among illiterates and the unskilled and are rare among the educated, he added.
In most cases victims end their lives to escape difficult siuations. Yet others end their lives to bury a secret with them. Whatever the reason, suicide is not the answer, said Dr Hassan.
People who have survived suicide attempts have reported wanting not so much to die as to stop living, a strange dichotomy but a valid one nevertheless, he said.
Depression is also increasingly becoming a prime reason. "My experience has shown that 90 per cent of suicides follow psychological pressure, where the person might not have been willing to work, for instance, otherwise he might be a dignified and sensitive person. About 20 per cent of victims would have already attempted suicide before.”
In his long experience with the forensic department, Dr Hassan has come across several interesting as well as difficult cases. One particular case that moved him the most was the sight of small children crying on seeing their father hanging from the ceiling when they returned from school.
He another case, a Pakistani man's body was found with 17 incised wounds on his neck and wrists, apparently made with razors. Investigations proved he was a highly religious person but was mentally  depressed, he said.
Similarly, an Indian computer engineer was found dead inside his car in Dubai again with injuries on his neck and wrists. Investigations found that he was accused of stealing money from his company.
Another incident, Dr Hassan said, which was confirmed as natural death and later revoked to as suicide when they found marks on his neck that showed he was killed and then hanged.
Police found a body on Al Saif Street with his shirt wrapped around his neck and initial probe said it was a car accident. Later it was proved that he had committed suicide and his partners wanted to get rid of his body as they were into illicit liqour trade and therefore dumped his body on the street.
Dr Hassan said suicide among children was rare. In one such case the body of an 11-year old was found in Al Qusais area. He had hanged himself. Among children the reasons are very silly, he said, such as betting among themselves to a daredevil act just mimicking their superheroes.
Shooting oneself is again rare method adopted by people committing suicides, he added.

Source: Emirates 247


3 comments:

remgold said...

beginilah negara pak arab ni. kaya raya - gunakan wang tiu jaga kebajikan pekerja asing. dari situ kamu boleh buat indirect dakwah. tak payah mereka masuk islam pun.
sekurang2nya bila mereka balik kelak agak puji agama kita.
macam ramai warga spork dan maysia ke amerika dan eropah utk belajar dan kerja. bila mereka balik mereka puji sistem orang sana tu dan lebih mudah nak lentur jadi pro-barat.
bodoh sakan pak arab ni.

Ummie said...

Yes, admitted.
I share the same sentiment as you.

The same to those cleaners in the Grand Mosques in Holy Land.
Their welfare should be looked into, they are paid pittance,
and many more humanity issues...

Hollyfsgw said...

beginilah negara pak arab ni. kaya raya - gunakan wang tiu jaga kebajikan pekerja asing. dari situ kamu boleh buat indirect dakwah. tak payah mereka masuk islam pun. sekurang2nya bila mereka balik kelak agak puji agama kita. macam ramai warga spork dan maysia ke amerika dan eropah utk belajar dan kerja. bila mereka balik mereka puji sistem orang sana tu dan lebih mudah nak lentur jadi pro-barat. bodoh sakan pak arab ni.