In the United Arab Emirates, an investigation is underway into the deaths of two Kazakh citizens whose bodies were found in a rented apartment in Sharjah, where the women worked. The tragedy has revealed new circumstances, reports infohub.kz.
It has become known that the deceased are sisters Zhuldyz and Akzhan, aged 20 and 22. They arrived in the UAE for work in December last year and worked in a beauty salon. Relatives said the girls stopped contacting them about 10 days ago. The last message to their parents was: "Sälem, mama, bizde barlyq jaqsy, prostyla, tamağym awyryp tur, keiіnіrek habarlasamyz" (translated as: "Hello, mom, everything is fine with us, we caught a cold, our throat hurts, we'll get in touch later").
The girls' father, Meiram Bokhanov, shared his grief: "On Monday I write — they read it, but there is no answer. They are not going to give us the bodies yet. They said it would be considered for a week. We ask for help to speed it up. They need to be buried already. They've been lying there for so long... I want to bring them back and bury them properly."
The Bokhanov sisters had previously traveled to the Emirates for work, so relatives were not worried. This time they planned to return in February, but due to the escalation of the conflict in the Middle East, the return was postponed to early September. The sisters' sibling, Mensulu Bokhanova, explained: "They didn't have a tourist visa. First, there was an evacuation of those who were tourists, they left for a week. But they had been there since December, they needed to get their documents done. They couldn't leave right away. But they wanted to go home. I asked if they needed money, if everything was okay. Everything was fine. I don't even know what the reason could be."
What could have happened and whether there are signs of violent death on the bodies, the family has not been told yet. The circumstances of the incident are not even known to the Kazakh Foreign Ministry. Relatives of Zhuldyz and Akzhan are sure it was murder. According to unconfirmed information, a suspect has already been detained.
The girls' father is flying from Astana to the Emirates. There he will have to take a DNA test to prove his relationship. Only after this procedure will the man be able to take his daughters' bodies home.
Earlier, the Foreign Ministry's press service reported that two Kazakh citizens died in Sharjah. The Consulate General of Kazakhstan in Dubai is providing the necessary consular and legal assistance, including help with paperwork and interaction with the UAE's competent authorities regarding the circumstances of the deaths.