New details have emerged regarding the deaths of two Kazakh citizens whose bodies were found in a rented apartment in Sharjah. The deceased have been identified as sisters Zhuldyz and Akzhan Bokhanova, aged 20 and 22, according to infohub.kz.
Relatives said the sisters had arrived in the UAE in December 2025 to work and were employed at a beauty salon. About 10 days before their bodies were discovered, they stopped contacting home.
The last message the girls sent to their parents was brief. "Salem, mama, bizde barlygy zhaksy, prostyla, tamagym auyryp tur, keyinirek khabarlasamyn" ("Hello, mom, everything is fine with us. I caught a cold, my throat hurts, I'll get in touch later"), the daughter said in a voice message.
The father of the victims, Meiram Bokhanov, said that his messages to his daughters were read, but he received no reply. "On Monday I write — they read it, but no answer. They are not ready to release the bodies to us yet. They said it would take a week to consider. We ask for help to speed it up. They need to be buried. They've been lying there for so long... I want to bring them back and bury them properly," the man said.
It turned out that Zhuldyz and Akzhan had previously traveled to the UAE for work, so the family was not worried about them. This time, the sisters planned to return to Kazakhstan in February, but due to the escalation of the conflict in the Middle East, they postponed their return to early September.
According to the sisters' sibling, Mensulu Bokhanova, the girls were not in the country on tourist visas and could not leave immediately during the evacuation. "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 could be the reason," she said.
The circumstances of the girls' deaths have not yet been disclosed. Relatives have also not been informed whether signs of violence were found on the bodies. The family believes the sisters may have been killed. According to unconfirmed information, a suspect has been detained, but this has not been officially confirmed.
Kazakhstan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the investigation is being conducted by UAE law enforcement agencies. "The Consulate General of Kazakhstan in Dubai is providing the necessary consular and legal assistance. Local authorities are investigating the circumstances and, in the interests of the investigation, are not disclosing information," the Kazakh MFA said.
The father of the victims flew from Astana to the Emirates. He will have to undergo a DNA test to confirm his relationship. After that, he will be able to retrieve his daughters' bodies and bring them to Kazakhstan for burial.