Dubai gives golden visa to murdered Indian couple’s daughters

Our Correspondent

Two Indian teenage girls orphaned when their parents were murdered in a gated community in Dubai were granted Golden Visas – a 10-year residency visa – by Dubai along with their grandparents.

Dubai Police, in cooperation with the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs in Dubai (GDRFA), handed over the visas to them. The kind gesture is aimed at helping the duo continue their studies in the UAE. Dubai Police proceeded with the paperwork after learning that their late father had wanted them to complete their studies in the UAE.

On June 17 this year, a Pakistani worker had broken into their villa at the Arabian Ranches when they were asleep at night. While committing robbery, he killed Hiren, 48, and his wife Vidhi Adhiya, 40, in their bedroom and wounded the girls. The murderer was caught soon after the crime.

Dubai Police disclosed that they were in contact with the two girls after the incident and helped bring them back to Dubai from India. Dubai Police has also obtained full scholarships for the girls at the Canadian University and Repton School in Dubai. The girls’ names are kept confidential as they are below 21.

Dr Karim Chelli, president of the Canadian University in Dubai, said he was happy to support the family by providing a four-year full scholarship for the elder sister at the college of engineering. The university will cover the Dh 300,000 cost of her study.

David Cook, principal of Repton School in Dubai, said the younger sister who was studying in the school would have the rest of her tuition paid in full. It would also provide books, supplies and school uniforms throughout all years of her schooling under the Dubai Police Scholarship”.

The Victim Support Programme at the General Directorate of Criminal Investigations (CID) communicated with the two girls after the death of their father and provided them with psychological support and a female element who accompanied them during their daily lives. It worked hard to finish all necessary procedures to bring them to the country in August after the last rites of their parents were over. Dubai Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed’s office had facilitated the entire process with the Dubai Police right from the start.
The Victim Support Programme was launched by the Dubai Police in 2004 to provide support to victims and help them overcome the ordeal they have been through, thereby strengthening the trust of the public to communicate with police.