2 Indians commit suicide in Dubai

Two Indians working in Dubai allegedly committed suicide within a few hours of each other, apparently out of depression, police sources said.

The incidents occurred about a week after an Indian worker committed suicide when his company refused him money for medical treatment.

Selva Kumar, a 25-year-old from Chennai, killed himself on Tuesday. He had been depressed for the past eight months, a senior police official said.

Another Indian, Thomas Anthony, a 30-year-old accountant, committed suicide on Wednesday apparently due to depression. He was due to fly home the same night.

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Selva Kumar came to Dubai a year ago to take up a job as a construction worker. "We got acquainted and became good friends. He was a very good person and we all loved him a lot. He was very kind and humble," said Babu, his roommate.

About eight months ago, Kumar's sister committed suicide in India. Since then, he had been depressed, Gulf News quoted Babu as saying.

"Kumar told me his sister committed suicide because her relationship with her husband was not good. Since then, he was very depressed and quiet. He started eating alone and would not say anything unless we spoken to," he said.

There was no problem with their employer. They were being paid salaries on time.

"When we came back from work (on Tuesday), the room was locked and we could not open it from outside. We called a carpenter who opened the door. We found Kumar hanging from the ceiling," he said.

A police source said Kumar might have committed suicide because of pressure from his family back home. "He received a letter from his family informing him about their unpaid debts, and that the people whom they had borrowed money from were pressuring them. He must have taken this drastic step because of the pressure from his family, and the sad thing, which happened to his sister. It was all psychological," said the source.

In the second case, a police source told Gulf News that Thomas Anthony had come to Dubai about six months ago. According to his roommate, he was depressed and wanted to return home.

"His employer told us he had been wanting to go back home since October 2004. He asked them to cancel his visa and send him back, or he would kill himself," police said.

Anthony's flight had been booked for the same day he killed himself.

"When his roommate and friends came to drop him to the airport at 7pm, they found the door locked. After opening the door, they found him hanging by the fan in his room," the report added.