The body of a Thanjavur woman, whose death in Saudi Arabia in May raised suspicion among her parents, was brought to Tiruchi on Friday by a Sri Lankan airlines flight. The body was received by the woman’s father, Anthony Yagappa, at the airport. It was immediately sent to the mortuary at Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Government Hospital here.
Police said 27-year-old Immaculate, a BCA graduate from Thanjavur, went to Dammam in October 2012 on a promise by a Tiruchi agent that she would be placed in a computer-related job. But, the woman ended up a house maid. The woman’s parents received a call in May last year from Dammam informing them of their daughter’s death without citing the cause or any other information.
Getting suspicious, they immediately called back the same number said to be that of the house owner. As they failed to get a reply, they tried to contact the agent. When that too did not fructify, they petitioned the Thanjavur collector seeking information about her daughter and regarding news of her death through the Indian embassy.
With no reply coming forth, they approached the Madurai bench of the Madras High Court in September last year. The number of respondents was 21, including the Thanjavur Collector and the Tiruchi Commissioner of Police.
Following the court order, the news of Immaculate’s death was confirmed a few days ago. On the court direction, the body was sent to Tiruchi and kept at the mortuary. Amid conflicting reports of suicide and murder, the woman’s father has sought a re-post-mortem and filed a petition in the High Court. The petition is slated for hearing on January 21 until which time the body would remain at the mortuary under the custody of the City Police Commissioner.
