Uttar Pradesh man's body stranded in Jeddah for 7 months; mother-wife divided over last rites

Representative image. Pic/Istock

For almost two months, 85-year-old Maryam Begum has been waiting to perform the last rites of her son, whose body is cold-stored in a mortuary in Saudi Arabia for last seven months.

Mohammad Alam, 35, had gone to Jeddah in Saudi Arabia for work last year, and died there on March 30, according to the Indian Embassy.

His family was informed about Alam's death only on August 24, Alam's brother Aftab Alam said.

Since then the family has written to authorities requesting Alam's body to be brought back for his burial in Shahjahanpur in Uttar Pradesh, where he hailed from.

However, according to police, Alam's wife, Farheen, has also given her permission to an acquaintance to perform her husband's last rites in Jeddah.

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Farheen, who lives with her parents in Shahjahanpur, has in an official letter given her consent to an acquaintance in Jeddah to bury Alam there.

She in the letter contended that the body had already been kept there for too long.

Superintendent of Police (SP) S Anand said that Alam had gone to Jeddah for a job and died there on March 30.

He said that Police after being informed by the Indian Embassy about his death relayed the news to the family immediately and also handed them the consent letter given by the embassy to be signed by them.

Alam's mother and brother then gave their consent to bring the body back.

At the moment, Alam's awaits burial and lies in a mortuary in Jeddah.

Aftab Alam, who lives in Mohammad Shah area under Kotwali Police Station of the city, told PTI that his brother Mohammad Alam had gone to Jeddah in 2013 for work and used to visit Shahjahanpur regularly.

"This time when my brother went to Jeddah after COVID-19, he did not return. He died there on March 30 this year," Aftab said.

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