How Indian Student’s Flat Tyre Call Ended in Tragedy: Killed in Dubai

A 21-year-old Indian expatriate student was killed in Dubai on Thursday afternoon after a speeding vehicle struck her as she stood behind her car, which had suffered a flat tyre on Al Khawaneej Street. Naifa Balkies Hameed, a final-year architecture student at Canadian University Dubai, had called her father minutes earlier to report the breakdown. The driver of the vehicle has been arrested, and Dubai Police are investigating the collision in the Al Rashidiya area. Daily Dazzling Dawn understands that the family is now urging motorists to take greater care during roadside emergencies, hoping their loss will prevent further deaths.

The sequence of events, recounted by her uncle to journalists, began with an ordinary phone call. Naifa telephoned her father, Binu Hameed, to say her car’s tyre had gone flat while she was driving to university. He advised her to contact roadside assistance and, once the recovery vehicle had towed the car away, to take a taxi to her classes. About five minutes later, Binu called her again. There was no answer. The family later received a call from Dubai Police informing them of the accident. According to the account provided to the family, Naifa was standing behind her vehicle when a speeding car hit her. She was run over and reportedly died at the scene.

Daily Dazzling Dawn understands that Naifa had returned to Dubai ahead of most of her family because she did not want to miss her classes. The family had travelled to Kerala for a wedding, and while her father, brother, his wife and her uncle remained in India for another family function, Naifa flew back with her mother, Seena. She was driving her brother’s car, which had not been used for several days while he was abroad. The family had moved to Dubai to support her higher education. Her father, a businessman, had previously travelled frequently between Saudi Arabia, Dubai and India before settling in the emirate. Naifa, a native of Thodupuzha in Kerala, had been driving since the age of 18 and was comfortable behind the wheel of different vehicles.

Her uncle described Naifa as a very special child who was extremely close to everyone in the family. He told journalists that she remembered the birthdays and wedding anniversaries of everyone and made a point of sending cards and gifts. She was friendly with everyone, especially young children. He described her as the light of the household. The family, he said, is devastated by her sudden death. The news has shattered relatives who had been preparing for a wedding celebration and were instead confronted with the task of repatriating her mortal remains.

Family members in Kerala returned to Dubai on Friday morning. Once documentation and repatriation formalities were completed, they took Naifa’s mortal remains back home on Saturday night. Earlier on Saturday, friends and relatives gathered at the embalming centre in Dubai to pay their final respects. Naifa was laid to rest at a mosque in her hometown in Kerala on Sunday. Daily Dazzling Dawn learned that the family hopes her death will serve as an eye-opener for motorists and other road users, encouraging greater awareness and caution during roadside emergencies. They want drivers to understand that a breakdown on a busy road carries serious risks, and that standing behind a vehicle can leave people exposed to speeding traffic.

Dubai Police have confirmed that the driver of the vehicle involved has been arrested. Daily Dazzling Dawn has contacted Dubai Police for further comment and is awaiting a response. The case has highlighted persistent concerns about roadside safety in the emirate, particularly on busy thoroughfares such as Al Khawaneej Street. For the family, the focus now is on ensuring that Naifa’s death is not forgotten. They are calling for greater public awareness about the dangers faced by stranded motorists and the importance of caution from passing drivers. As they mourn a young woman described as the light of their household, they are asking others to think twice before ignoring the risks of a roadside breakdown.