Mother’s wait nears a month as expat son’s body stuck in UAE

“My eyes have grown blurred waiting for my son’s body, but it still hasn’t come. Please bring me my son’s body. I just want to see his face one last time.”

This was the heart-wrenching plea of Parul Begum over the phone on Friday morning.

Her son, Md Sabuj, 36, has been lying in a morgue in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for nearly a month, but the family has yet to bring his body home due to procedural complications.

Sabuj, the youngest son of the late Amsar Ali and Parul Begum of Chhoto Durgapur village in Matlab Uttar upazila in Chandpur, moved to Dubai about two years ago to work as a labourer.

On 22 August, he was murdered outside his rented flat, reportedly stabbed to death following a dispute with another expatriate over money.

Family and local sources said the altercation escalated into violence, and Sabuj was fatally attacked with a sharp weapon.

Police recovered his body and sent it for post-mortem at a hospital morgue, where it remains. A murder case has been filed locally, and the suspect has been arrested.

Sabuj’s elder brother, Sultan Miji, told Prothom Alo that they have contacted the embassies of both countries. However, because the case is still under trial and due to various legal and procedural hurdles, the body has not yet been repatriated.

“We are exhausted waiting. My mother, Sabuj’s wife and his little boy cannot be consoled. We urge the government to take immediate steps to bring the body home,” he said.

Sabuj’s wife, Riva Akter, 25, said their young son keeps asking about his father, but she has no answer for him.

“The future looks dark. I want justice for my husband’s murder, but above all, I beg the government to help bring his body home as soon as possible,” she said.