Indian expat social media influencer, mother of 2, falls to death from 19th floor in UAE

News Network
May 27, 2024

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An Indian expat in her late 30s fell to her death in Fujairah on Saturday morning. The deceased, identified as Shanifa Babu from Kerala, fell from the balcony of her apartment on the 19th floor of the building she lived in.

Married with two daughters, Shanifa was popular on social media with thousands of followers. At the time of her death, her mother was visiting her from Dubai.

“We have no idea what happened,” said a family friend, who preferred to be anonymous. “The incident took place around 9am, and her husband, mother and children were in the apartment at the time. Shanifa grew up in the UAE and her entire extended family lives here. On Saturday, her mother had travelled from Dubai to meet her in Fujairah.”

According to social workers, both Shanifa’s mother and husband were at the police station until the early hours of Sunday to complete the formalities. The deceased’s body has been kept in the mortuary of Fujairah Hospital.

Shanifa's husband is an entrepreneur, who has his own construction firm in the emirate. The couple hailed from the southern Indian state of Kerala.

Social media influencer

Shanifa was very active on both Instagram and TikTok commanding a joint following of more than 90,000 on both platforms. She regularly posted funny reels and about her life with her family. Her last social media post was a reel on TikTok on Thursday that said: “Don’t fall in love with me, I will break your heart.”

Messages of condolences poured in on social media, with many users expressing their shock at Shanifa's death. “I cannot believe you are no longer on this earth Shanu,” wrote one user. Another wrote: “You were someone I became friends with on social media without ever meeting in real life, rest in peace.”

Shanifa's husband Sanuj Babu posted about the tragic news. “Please pray for her,” he wrote on Instagram.

“I cannot believe what happened,” said the family friend. “They were a very loving family and very friendly with everyone. I have never even seen them have an argument. I cannot believe that such a terrible tragedy has struck them. The girls are very young and don’t understand what is happening. They spent most of Saturday at a friend’s house where they looked very scared and confused. My heart goes out to the family.”

Social workers said they are assisting the family to complete the formalities and paperwork. It is not immediately clear whether Shanifa will be buried here or in India.

Earlier this year, an Ajman teen died after falling from a residential building the emirate. He was missing for several weeks before he was found dead. In March, a 4-year-old also died after falling from a high-rise in Sharjah.

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News Network
September 8,2024

In a shocking development, a doctor, who worked for the mobile medical services of the Isha Foundation in Coimbatore district, has been arrested by the Coimbatore District Police on charges of sexually assaulting many girl students of a government school during a medical camp. 

The incident came to light during a meeting between education officers and the students, held following orders from Chief Secretary N Muruganandam. The meeting was part of a larger investigation after four staff members of a government college in Valparai were recently arrested for sexually harassing students.

The arrested doctor, identified as 33-year-old S Saravanamoorthy, was a native of Tirupattur district and was part of a mobile medical units team, operated by the Isha Foundation of Jaggi Vasudev alias Sadhguru.

These units have reportedly been conducting free medical camps for school students and general public across Coimbatore under their ‘Action for Rural Rejuvenation’ programme. 

During the meeting with the education officers on Wednesday, September 4, around 12 girl students belonging to classes 6 to 10, raised complaints about how they were touched inappropriately by Saravanamoorthy during these camps.

Immediately after this, the school management reached out to the Child Welfare Committee (CWC), who followed an inquiry with the students. Following this, the Perur All Women police were alerted.

The police officials visited the school and inquired with each of the survivors personally. After recording their statements, they registered a case against the doctor under Section 9(e) (whoever being on the management or staff of a hospital, whether government or private, commits sexual assault on a child in that hospital) read with 10 (punishment for aggravated sexual assault) of Pocso Act. The doctor was later arrested and has been remanded to judicial custody. 

The Isha Foundation, meanwhile, has put out a statement stating that they are fully cooperating with the investigation and that they have a zero tolerance policy for crimes against women and children. 

“It has been brought to our notice that a case has been registered against an employee who is a doctor with our outreach mobile medical services in the rural areas of Coimbatore. Isha holds a Zero Tolerance Policy for any crimes against women and children. We are cooperating with the ongoing police investigation and will take necessary actions by the legal,” read the statement.

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News Network
September 3,2024

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A 19-year-old boy, studying in Class 12 in Haryana’s Faridabad, was chased in a car and shot dead by a group of five cow vigilantes who allegedly mistook him for a cattle smuggler, police said on Tuesday.

A Duster car in which the boy, Aryan Mishra, and his friends Harshit and Shanky as well as two other women seated in the back of the vehicle, was chased by the members of cow vigilante group on the night of August 23 for about 30 kilometers near Haryana’s Gadhpuri on the Delhi-Agra National Highway.

Police have identified and arrested all the five accused – Saurabh, Anil Kaushik, Varun, Krishna and Adesh. A report by Hindustan Times quoted police sources as saying that the weapon used to kill the victim was illegal.

All the five accused cow vigilantes were grilled by the cops who revealed that they had received information that on the night of August 23, some suspected cattle “smugglers” were carrying out surveillance in the city in Renault Duster and Toyota Fortuner and picking up cattle in the area.  

The accused also claimed they were told that the alleged cattle smugglers had also called their associates  to pick up cows in a truck from isolated areas in the city.  

The cow vigilantes, who were also in a car, spotted a Duster at Patel Chowk in which Aryan Mishra was seated with his friends.  

The vehicle was being driven by Harshit and was stopped by the accused, but they instead accelerated, following which they opened fire and a bullet hit Aryan Mishra, who was seated in the passenger seat, near his neck.  

After Aryan was shot, Harshit pulled over the SUV near the Gadhpuri toll in Palwal, but the attackers approached and fired another shot into Aryan Mishra’s chest, resulting in his death.

The accused saw the women in the car and realised that they had shot a wrong person after which they fled.  

Police said despite being asked to stop, Harshit sped the vehicle as Shanky, who was also in the car, was recently involved in a dispute with a man and a case had been registered against him. They thought goons were sent to kill them.

With the SUV not stopping and instead running away, the cow vigilantes thought the cattle smugglers were in it and they started to chase the vehicle which broke through the barrier at the Palwal toll plaza.  

The accused have been sent to judicial custody after being presented in a city court.

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