10-08-2025
Sharjah expat suicide: Husband arrested at Kerala airport on abuse charges
The husband of Athulya Shekhar, the 30-year-old Sharjah expat who died from suicide a day after her birthday, has been arrested in Thiruvananthapuram, according to local media outlets.
Forty year old Satheesh Sankar was arrested at the airport after he landed in the Keralite capital on Sunday morning, after taking a flight from Dubai. He was handed over to the police.
Thekkumbhagam police said that Satheesh had obtained anticipatory bail from the District Court and would be released on bail depending on court order after his statement his recorded.
Athulya's family had filed a case against her husband, which included charges of physical abuse and dowry-related offences.
Indian media had also earlier reported that Sankar had been booked under multiple cases, including abetment of suicide of a woman, voluntarily causing grievous hurt using a dangerous weapon, wrongful restraint or confinement, and cruelty by husband or his relatives. He also faces charges under the Dowry Prohibition Act, which penalises the giving, taking, or unlawful demand of dowry.
Videos of her husband physically assaulting her were widely circulated on social media.
Speaking to Khaleej Times at the time, social worker Abdullah Kamampalam said at the time that a "lookout notice" had been issued against the husband.
"This means that the moment he lands in India, he will be taken into custody by the local police," he had said.
Over a week after her passing on July 19, Sharjah Police confirmed her death as suicide by hanging after forensic investigation.
Athulya had been residing in Sharjah' Rolla for the past two years and was about to start a new job at a mall. She had celebrated her birthday the day before with her sister. She has a 10-year-old daughter who lives in India.
Athulya was laid to rest on July 30 in her hometown of Kollam, where her family carried out last rites. Her father, a former Gulf expat, now works as an autorickshaw driver in Kerala.
Athulya tragic death came nine days after another Indian expat died by suicide on July 10, a day after killing her one-year-and-five-month-old daughter in their Sharjah apartment.
The woman, who moved to the UAE a few years ago with her husband, was reportedly living separately from him for several months due to abuse and ongoing family disputes. According to social workers familiar with the case, the couple's relationship had been strained, with frequent arguments and disagreements over family matters.
The woman's body was repatriated to her hometown, while her daughter's last rites were carried out in Sonapur New Cemetery in Dubai.
