A day after her husband Nithin Chandran died in Dubai, Athira Geetha Sreedharan delivered a baby girl at a private hospital in Kozhikode on Tuesday.
Athira had filed a petition in India's Supreme Court in April this year - when she seven-month pregnant - seeking help to return home for her delivery.
That was three weeks before the government launched Vande Bhrath Mission to bring back Indians stranded abroad.
She was lucky to get a ticket in the first flight to Kozhikode on May 7.
Nithin, 29, who supported his wife's legal battle, stayed back in Dubai after seeing off Athira.
Tragic death
However, he was found dead in their apartment in Dubai's International City on Monday morning. Gulf News, quoting Nithin's friends, reported that he was under treatment for high blood pressure and a heart condition and was suspected to have died of a heart attack while asleep.
Athira still doesn't know about Nithin's death. Her relatives took her to hospital on Monday evening before informing her about the tragedy.
An engineer with a private firm, Nithin was the coordinator of the Dubai chapter of the Kerala Blood Donors and worked closely with the voluntary organisation, Indian Culture and Arts Society (INCAS).
Athira, an electronics and communication engineer, had been working in an information technology company in Dubai.
Nithin was the son of retired health inspector Ramachandran.
His body has been kept in Rashid Hospital mortuary in Dubai. His COVID-19 test result came as negative. His body is expected to reach Kerala by Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Consul General of India in Dubai, Vipul, has expressed his shock and disbelief over the news of Nithin's death.
"I am shocked to hear about the demise of Nithin whose wife is pregnant and was among the first one to be repatriated on Vande Bharat Mission," Vipul was quoted as saying by the Gulf News.
"Nithin worked a lot for the community, especially arranging blood donation camps and volunteering during COVID situation. I give my sincere condolences to the family and hope that they are able to withstand this big and untimely loss," the official said.
