MANGALURU: Karnataka chief minister H D Kumaraswamy on Monday wrote a letter to external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj to intervene in the matter pertaining to the death of Nurse Hazel Jyotsna Mathias at Saudi Arabia and expedite the process of transport of her mortal remains to India.

The Karnataka CM also urged the external affairs minister to move the authorities concerned for a proper investigation into the cause of the death of the 28-year-old nurse, adding that the aged parents and husband were kept in the dark regarding the progress of the case.

This letter came after people’s representative from Coast putting pressure on CM to use his good offices with External Affairs minister to expedite the case. MLC Ivan D’Souza, who visited the family at Udupi on Monday, told TOI: According to the information I have, the investigations by the Saudi police into the case should get over within three days following which the body will be handed over for post-mortem. The mortal remains should reach here within a week.

Ivan also called up a friend of the family in Saudi and also the Indian Embassy officials there to get the latest updates. Ivan said: The Saudi investigating agency has seized some letters written in Kannada script from the hostel where the deceased was staying and have finished translation to Arabic.

``The letters should establish whether it was a case of suicide or not also whether there was a death note, if any,’’ said Ivan but doubted about such a possibility saying the girl had come up the hard way. ``She was a gold medalist in nursing and also topped an internal examination held at the Jeddah Hospital. All these indicate that it (suicide) is a distant possibility,’’ asserted Ivan. The body was allegedly found near the top floor of the building near the elevator.

Ivan also noted deaths so many deaths of Indians abroad was a cause for concern and he has urged Karnataka MPs to debate it in the Parliament through a calling attention motion. He also said he had urged CM to provide relief to the beleaguered family.

Meanwhile, the Indian Embassy officials in Saudi Arabia stated that the Consular General of India at Jeddah was in constant touch with local authorities to expedite the process, but as the police investigation is continuing it may take some more time.

Hazel Jyotsna Mathias was a nurse working at a hospital in Abha Province run by the Saudi Arabian government. She was native of Kuthyaru near Shirva in Udupi district and was working for past six years in Saudi Arabia. She was married to Ashwin Mathias, two years ago. Ashwin, who was working in Dubai earlier, had returned to India after he lost job recently.

