Young mother hangs herself

A young mother is believed to have committed suicide by hanging herself after sending her six-year-old daughter and younger brother to buy groceries, Gulf News has learned. When the pair returned 20 minutes later, they had to get police to help them break into their home and were shocked to find their mum dying in the bathroom of their apartment. The family are still baffled over what could have led her to such an act. The woman's daughter is still unaware that her mother is dead, and believes she is hospitalised after having fallen sick. Police are still investigating the incident which happened in Al Ain on Tuesday evening. The victim, Meera Mohan, a 27-year-old, Indian from Kottayam in the South Indian state of Kerala, was living with her brother Midhun Mohan, 20, and her daughter, Pavithra, in the apartment. She was working as a receptionist in a private company and has been living in the UAE for the past five years, sources close to the family said. Her former husband is in India. Pavithra is a grade two student at Al Ain Indian High School. ‘Huge shock' "Meera was the sole breadwinner of the family. She took care of the entire family — including her parents back in India," a close friend of hers said. "Few months ago, she brought her brother here on a job. But he was not happy and was planning to fly back to India on May 19 to come back on a different job visa. Her death comes as a huge shock, added the friend. "Around just 10-15 minutes before Meera asked Midhun and Pavithra to go buy groceries, the brother and sister were taking their pictures together on his mobile phone. And they were all very happy." But no one is sure what exactly went wrong, a source said. She had also asked Midhun to say goodbye to his friends, before coming back from the grocery shop, as he was planning to travel soon. "She used to be adamant that she wants to live her life for her daughter and that she does not want to re-marry." Pavithra is now under the care of family friends and still believes her mother is alive. Awareness campaign The recent spate of suicides has prompted a prominent Indian community organistion, Sevanam, to hold a series of seminars with the hope of discouraging expatriates from taking their own lives. The campaign ‘Save Your Life, Save Your Family', will kick off tomorrow evening at the Gulf Model School in Al Ghusais. Sevanam, with over 12,000 registered members, is affiliated to the Indian Consulate's Indian Community Welfare Committee.