Kozhikode: The body of Nithin Chandran, who died in Dubai, was brought to Kochi on Wednesday morning.

From Kochi, it was taken to Kozhikode in an ambulance. The last rites will be held later in the day at Perambra in Koyilandy.

Nithin, who worked as an engineer in a private company, was found dead at his home in Dubai International City on Monday morning. He was under treatment for high blood pressure and had heart ailments. He is suspected to have died of a heart attack in his sleep.

Nithin was the husband of Athira Geetha Sreedharan, an IT engineer who had waged a battle in the Supreme Court for the safe return of pregnant Indian women stranded abroad due to the COVID-19 lockdown.

Athira had filed the petition in April when she was seven months pregnant. Nithin had supported her in her fight.

The Centre started the Vandhe Bharat programme to bring home stranded Indians on May 7.

Both Athira and Nithin got a ticket on the first flight from Dubai to Kozhikode under the mission on May 7. However, Nithin gave his ticket to another Keralite who had a more pressing need to return home.

He had told Athira that he would join her during her delivery.

Athira delivered a baby girl on Tuesday, unaware of her husband’s death.

Although her due date was in the first week of July, her relatives decided to get the delivery done through a surgery before informing her about Nithin's death.

They took her to a private hospital in Kozhikode on Tuesday saying she had to undergo COVID tests. Athira delivered the baby girl about 11:40am.