The Christchurch mosques terror attack on Friday claimed a third life from the State as it came to light that a 25-year-old student from Hyderabad who was listed ‘missing’ succumbed to the injuries. A tweet from the official handle of the Indian High Commission in New Zealand named Ozair Kadir on a list of those who died in the attack.
The second of four siblings, Ozair moved to New Zealand around a year ago to pursue a course in aviation. According to sources close to the family, he was born in Jeddah in Saudi Arabia and lived there for several years. His family is based in Noor Khan Bazaar in the Old City. His father, Kadir Habib, is an NRI who has been living in Saudi Arabia for more than 30 years. The victim’s elder brother, Omair Kadir, is a pilot. Two other siblings are students. The victim’s family runs a well-known textile shop in Dabeerpura. “Habib sahab always believed in giving his children a very good education. You see, most of the family is engaged in business activity. In fact, he wanted them to be pilots,” a source close to the family said. “Ozair was close to completing his course. But now, the family is exploring options of bringing back Ozair’s body back to Hyderabad. They are talking to people in New Zealand to see how this can be done,” the source said. A member of the extended family said that it was only on Saturday that the immediate family had been informed that Ozair was injured. “They are crestfallen. They knew he was on the ‘missing’ list but were not sure of what it means. They are in touch with a support group in New Zealand and there is some clarity now,” he said. The victim’s elder brother, Mr Omair, was said to be on his way to New Zealand on a connecting flight which was scheduled to reach Singapore first. “Omair will be there late in the night (IST) and his father is going to reach Hyderabad soon,” the source said.
Ozair Kadir is the third victim of the terror attack from the State. As reported earlier, Farhaj Ahsan, a 31-year-old engineer, and Mohammed Imran Khan, a 35-year-old restaurateur had succumbed to the injuries. The Indian High Commission in New Zealand has set up a support group in Christchurch to assist the families of victims. It also started what it said was a dedicated page to ‘expedite visa for family members of Christchurch victims.’ More information is available on Twitter @IndiainNZ.
