A 28-year-old Keralite in Dubai, Nitin Chandran, had become the face of NRI COVID-19 woes in Kerala after his pregnant wife Athira Geetha Sreedharan (27) moved the Supreme Court for an early repatriation during the lockdown. However, tragically, Chandran, a mechanical engineer, died in his sleep on Sunday, exactly a month after Athira flew home on the first repatriation flight from Dubai (she returned on May 7). Now, Athira has given birth to a daughter, unaware of her husband's passing, Gulf News reported.
The publication reported that Athira's relatives, worried about her health getting affected due to the tragic news, shifted her to a hospital without breaking the devastating news. The parents had opted for a Cesarean procedure.
As of now, the cause of Nithin's death is not immediately known; however, his friends have said that he was under treatment for high blood pressure and a heart condition and that he might have suffered a heart attack.
The couple had filed a writ petition in the Supreme Court seeking an early repatriation since the delivery of their first baby was due in the first week of July. Their petition, however, failed to make any impact as the government had imposed a blanket suspension on international flight services.
Athira, an electronics and communication engineer, left for Kerala on May 7 on the first flight from Dubai operated under the Vande Bharat Mission. Nithin, who turned 28 on last Tuesday, stayed back in Dubai due to his work schedule.
According to reports, Athira managed to get a ticket on the first repatriation flight after the Indian Council General in Dubai put her in the high-priority list owing to her advanced stage of pregnancy.
According to Khaleej Times, Nithin's close friends have moved his mortal remains to the Dubai Police mortuary near Al Twar in Dubai, and are hoping to repatriate him to India for the final rites.
