Emirati teen’s suicide a mystery for family

An 18-year-old Emirati man who hanged himself in the bathroom at his house in the eastern oasis town of Al Ain a few days ago remains a big mystery for his family of 10. Neither his mother nor his brothers know why he did it.

His mother says she was not aware of any real problem that her son Khalfan Nasser had suffered except that he was denied a job at a government department before his death because of his weak eye sight.

Khalfan had even promised his mother to continue his search for a job to support her and his brothers and sisters and help in the maintenance of their old house following the drowning of his father, a fisherman, in Sharjah four years ago.

On the eve of his suicide, Khalfan was in a good mood and told his mother he was going to the garage to have his car repaired.

When he returned in the evening, he told her and his elder brother he was going out with his friends and would be a bit late. His 20-year-old brother, Rashid, had a chat with him on that night and there was nothing wrong with the boy.

On Tuesday morning, Khalfan was found by the housemaid hanging by a rope in the bathroom. The shocked Asian maid was so frightened that she started to rush around the house unusually screaming non-Arabic words.

“She jolted me out of the bed but I could not understand what she was saying to me. All that she did was to point at the bathroom,” Khalfan’s mother said, quoted by the Dubai-based Arabic language daily Emirat Alyoum.

“I quickly realised there is something very serious or a disaster. I rushed to the bathroom and there he was. He was hanging with a rope around his neck.

“I rushed towards him and I knew he was dead. We all were shocked at this unexpected incident. Khalfan died and the secret of his death was buried with him.

“No one knows why he did this and there was no reason I know that had pushed him to do this. I am not aware of any real problem that faced him recently except that he was denied that government job.”

She said Khalfan had promised her many times to get a job to help her and his younger brothers and sisters, adding that she was the sole supporter of the family through her social security allowances.

“On that day, he came to me and kissed my head as usual. He said he was going to the garage to have the car repaired. When he was late, I phoned him and he said he was on his way back,” she said.

“When he returned home, he looked well and we talked. He later went out to see his friends and that was the last time I saw him alive.

“I slept but I was awaken by the maid’s screams at dawn His death was a big shock to all of us as we are still recovering from the death of my husband.

“I pray to God the Almighty to give me strength to overcome this new trauma and compensate me for the death of Khalfan, who had been a good son and a punctual mosque visitor.”

Follow Emirates 24|7 on Google News.