Dubai helps Indian family find home

Residents have once again showed that Dubai is a city that cares when they came to the rescue of an Indian family of three that had been living in a rented car. They had to leave home after failing to pay rent.

An Indian electro-mechanical supervisor, his wife and an eight-year-old daughter, had been living in the car, in which they stacked their clothes, drinking water, tooth paste, brush and other essential items in the trunk. They used public lavatories, and washrooms at petrol stations and in the beach facilities to clean up. But the family’s woes were not at an end. The rented car had to be returned as they could pay the lease.

Speaking to Emirates 24|7, Bala Murali, 43-year-old Indian technician said his problems started after he lost his job, following a number of credit card defaults and repayment problems. He tried to settle by selling his property back home, but still he could not manage his finances efficiently to avoid bounced cheque cases.

“We have lived in the car for a couple of months because I had no other option. We could not take a room on rent because I lost my job due to cases related to my credit card payment and there was no money to pay rent. Whenever I tried to pay rent and lease a room, the cheques bounced. It was a very tough life with my wife and daughter,” said Bala.

The family’s plight was highlighted by a common friend in the media who forwarded their situation to his Facebook friends.

The post was shared by many people, among them one Tommy Sebastian, who came forward  offering a room the family without charging rent.

“Now I am getting partial relief after community members came forward with a room to stay, food and offers of help to find a job or in other ways - thanks to a few friends from the social media,” said Bala.

The Indian Association Sharjah, Kerala Muslim Cultural Centre and a few philanthropists are considering providing them help.

Bala said his story started when he rented an apartment in Dubai. But since there were many problems, I consulted an astrologer in Kerala who advised me to leave the flat. I tried to sublet the flat and take another in Satwa. However, my tenants did not give rent on time and started leaving the flat without paying. While the rent cheque I gave the building owner bounced, I ended up in further problems.”

Then the debt trap worsened.

“When the credit problem was going out of control, I tried to sell my property in India and settle. I have also withdrawn from one credit card to pay another and the problem spiraled over the years.”

“I came here around eight years ago with a decent job and my salary was around Dh8,000 after a few years work. I took some credit cards and later spent money to buy an emergency ticket to go home for a family member, who fell sick. I brought my wife and daughter to live here, but suddenly we had to go back to India after the family member fell ill. I spent Dh6,000 to buy three tickets and after reaching home, the family member was admitted in the emergency ward of a private hospital. Since I did not have money and I had a few credit cards, I used the cards to pay hospital bill of around INR200,000, which later multiplied further. The family member died but I ended up in a debt trap,” he recollects.

Bala said some friends are now offering him a job, but cannot take it up due to the pending cases.

“Thank you for all the help that came through social media. We have got temporary relief, especially a room to live in. My liability is not too big, and I can work and repay the credit card bills. If I can take up the job and start working, my life will be normal,” said Bala.

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