DOHA: The bodies of the two Indians who died in a swimming pool in their villa compound here early on November 14 were to be flown home late last night, with a lawyer saying their relatives’ plea for further probe into the tragedy was a futile exercise.
The police have already cleared the bodies to be carried home based on the medical report, so the file should be considered closed, said prominent lawyer, Jamal Al Nema.
When told that the relatives of the duo whose bodies were fished out of a swimming pool of their villa had told the Indian embassy here that they suspected foul play, Al Nema replied: “The investigations are over and cannot be reopened.” The embassy, meanwhile, confirmed it had received a written request from the relatives of the deceased in India for further investigations since they believed the two couldn’t have simply drowned while swimming in a pool.
“Their request has been forwarded to Qatar’s Foreign Ministry and they would refer it to the authorities concerned,” an embassy source told this newspaper.
Al Nema said if the police had suspected foul play, they would themselves have launched a further probe and not allowed the bodies to be taken to India. The medical report, it is learned, says the duo drowned.
According to Al Nema, no airline would agree to fly a body unless there is government clearance and the Indian authorities would also not permit the corpses to be taken out of the aircraft without Qatari government documents that show how the duo died. Noufal (28) and Ashraf (33) were related to each other and staying in a villa in the Old Airport area with three other relatives. Both were married and their families are in India. The Peninsula
