A tragic story of unresolved grief has ended with the death of a young mother in Kerala, more than five months after her husband was found dead under mysterious circumstances in Israel. Reshma, a 32-year-old resident of Kolayadi village in Wayanad, died on Wednesday after allegedly consuming poison.
A Double Death Mystery in Israel
Her husband, Jinesh Sukumaran, 38, had travelled to Israel in May last year to work as a caregiver. His dreams of improving his family's finances were shattered when he was found dead in an apartment at Mevasseret Zion, a town near Jerusalem, in July. The case was shrouded in mystery from the start, as an 80-year-old woman under Jinesh's care was also found dead in the same apartment.
According to a Keralite caregiver working in Israel, the details of the deaths remain unclear and unresolved. "Jinesh was found hanging in the apartment, while the woman was found dead with stab injuries," the source revealed. The Indian community in Israel made several attempts to get answers from the Indian embassy but were consistently told the matter was before a court.
A Wife's Desperate Quest for Answers
Back in Wayanad, Reshma was left devastated and unconvinced by the initial narratives. Suja James, a former panchayat member from Kolayadi, stated that Reshma never believed her husband was capable of taking his own life after harming the elderly woman. "After Jinesh’s death, Reshma was depressed. She sent several emails to the authorities, but in vain," Suja said.
Reshma, a graduate who was unemployed, had approached both the union government and the Israeli embassy, seeking a proper investigation into her husband's death. The couple had built a new house in Kolayadi, and Jinesh's move to Israel was primarily to clear the debts from its construction and recover the lakhs spent on obtaining a work visa. "She had no reason to believe that her husband would end his life after killing a person," Suja added, highlighting the family's financial motivations and Jinesh's character.
No Closure, No Compensation
The tragedy is compounded by the bleak prospect of any form of justice or financial support for the bereaved family. The caregiver source in Israel indicated that Jinesh's death was prima facie considered a suicide. This classification likely means his family will not receive any compensation from the Israeli government, as such payouts typically cover only fatal accidents for caregivers. Furthermore, Jinesh had been in the country for only about two months at the time of his death.
Reshma is survived by her 10-year-old daughter, who has now lost both parents to a tragedy that began thousands of miles away and remains officially unsolved. The case underscores the vulnerabilities and uncertainties faced by Indian migrant workers abroad and the profound impact on families left seeking truth and closure.
