Bochum, Germany/Kochi, October 15: Three young people from Kerala went to Germany to build a future. They did not come back. Anjali Sheela Joy, Nova Sabu and Sivin Johny died in a fire at an apartment building in the German city of Bochum early on Tuesday, and the families they left behind are now waiting for their bodies to return home.

German police have arrested a 41-year-old Romanian national who lived in the same building on suspicion of murder. At this stage, that is a suspicion and nothing has been proved in court.

What happened

Firefighters recovered the bodies from a second-floor apartment in a multi-family building in Bochum’s Hofstede district in North Rhine-Westphalia. Five other people were injured.

Police and prosecutors later announced the provisional arrest of the Romanian resident. A police spokesperson said there were initial grounds to suspect murder. Investigators are examining whether the fire was set deliberately, and reports say a technical fault has been ruled out. They have not publicly given a motive.

Who they were

Anjali Sheela Joy, 25, was from Kollam. Her parents, Joy and Sheela Joy, are both retired government employees. Nova Sabu, 27, was from Kattappana in Idukki, the daughter of KP Sabu and PN Jyothi. She had been working as a gym trainer in Germany. Sivin Johny, 26, was from Kalady in Ernakulam. Reports say he had reached Germany only about a fortnight before the fire, to pursue higher studies.

The Indian Embassy said all three were studying in Germany. Reports differ on the exact circumstances of each, and some say Anjali and Nova had moved there for work. What is clear is that all three had left home for a better life, and that for one of them that life had barely begun.

Bringing them home

Back in Kerala, the state government has started the process of repatriating the bodies. Tourism Minister PC Vishnunath said it is being coordinated with the Non-Resident Keralites Affairs department (NORKA) and the Indian Embassy in Germany. He also spoke to Anjali’s family.

For the families, the wait will be long. Sending a body home from another country involves paperwork, police clearances and, in a criminal investigation, the permission of German authorities. Officials say they are working to make it as quick as possible.

What happens next

German prosecutors will now decide on formal charges, while the investigation into the cause of the fire continues. The Embassy is also in touch with the authorities. For now, three households in Kerala are mourning children who left with big plans and, in the words of a country that seems far away, died in a place they were only beginning to call home.

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