SHARJAH // Family members of an Indian woman who was murdered during a robbery in Sharjah are urging police to accelerate the investigation so the family can perform her final rites in India.
Police have arrested two men in connection with the murder of Bala Kava, 28, who was found stabbed to death in her flat.
Heartbroken family members said her body is still in the UAE, more than 25 days after she was killed. They said they need to dispose of the body as per Hindu traditions, which require cremation soon after death.
"We want to see her for the last time and do the final rites in a proper manner," said Kanchan Bala, the elder sister of the deceased. "It's a double tragedy for us not to do it on time."
She appealed to authorities to speed up their investigation and release the body soon.
"It has been difficult for us to find out why there is so much delay. We are not able to get any answers," she said from India, her voice quivering with emotion.
Bala Kava was the youngest of four sisters from Ludhiana in Punjab. She moved to the UAE after marrying the Indian civil engineer Suraj Kava in 2009.
She was alone when robbers ransacked the house and killed her on December 15. Her mother, who was visiting at the time, was out at the time.
Her mother later found her in a pool of blood in her bedroom. Dh50,000 had been stolen, according to police.
Col Mohamed Rashid Al Bayati, the director general of Sharjah's CID, said crime scene evidence led investigators to the two men.
Police claim that both suspects confessed to stabbing the woman, with the intention of robbing her. They say the two men were friends of Mrs Kava and had admired her jewellery.
When they arrived at the house, they are said to have checked that Mrs Kava was alone before entering and killing her.
Police said the men had shown them where they had hidden the jewellery and the laptop they had stolen.
The two men have since been referred to prosecutors.
Col Al Bayati said the woman was stabbed in the neck, chest and stomach, and died almost immediately.
"We were shocked when we came to know about the murder. We shivered in fear. She was a wonderful girl," her sister said.
