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Brave woman resisted burglars, family friends say

Sharjah: In Hinduism the swastika is considered auspicious and is often painted on house doors as a charm to ward off evil.

When the Balas moved into Abdullah Al Khayal building in Sharjah’s bustling Bu Daniq area around three years back they got the symbol painted on their apartment door too. It’s there even now, only it’s overshadowed by black smudges left by Sharjah Police.

The old-fashioned black powder is still the workhorse of fingerprint development techniques at a crime scene.

Within 24 hours, it led Sharjah Police to the two suspects who killed 26-year-old Indian housewife Lucky Bala, stabbing her several times before quietly slipping away with her jewellery and a laptop around 4pm on December 15.

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Lucky, described as "tomboyish" by some, was alone in her one-bedroom apartment.

Her husband Suraj was at work in Dubai and her mother had just stepped out to shop at the nearby Mega Mall.

A sickening sight awaited her when she returned. The apartment door was ajar and her daughter’s body was sprawled on the bedroom floor in a pool of blood. Crying uncontrollably, she dashed out and asked watchman Irshad for help.

"She was hysterical. I rushed to the apartment and saw her daughter lying face up… and blood was oozing through several deep gashes all over her body. The living room appeared untouched but the bedroom was ransacked. Cupboard doors were flung open and drawers of cabinets were pulled out. I immediately called the police," recalled Irshad.

Family friends and neighbours reckon Lucky couldn’t have gone down without a fight.

"She was from Ludhiana and like most Punjabi women she was also brave and strong. Her mother used to say she was a tomboy in school and would beat up boys who tried to bully her. Surely she must have resisted the attackers," said a family friend who lives in the same building.

Lucky’s husband who hails from Bengaluru could not be contacted. "Suraj’s shattered beyond belief. Theirs was a love marriage A few days back we went together for a picnic to Khor Fakkan. They were so happy," he said.

Fear sets in

As the initial shock begins to wear off, a sense of fear has gripped residents.

"It’s scary to think that something like this could happen in a busy locality and that too in broad daylight," said an Indian on the first floor. He has now installed a double lock to secure his front door. "It could have been any one of us. I don’t feel safe here," said a Pakistani woman who lives next to the ill-fated apartment No 33 on the second floor.

Most of the 20 odd apartments here are occupied. Eerily, no one heard a sound. "It’s bizarre, I was at home when the incident took place but I heard nothing," added the woman.

Both men arrested for the murder are Indians and are illegal residents. One of them reportedly told police they knew the woman, a claim her family friend strongly denies. There is no security in the building. One theory is that the burglars hung around the sandy parking in the area and kept tabs on the movements of residents. When they saw Lucky’s mother step out, they took a chance at her apartment.

As fate would have it, Lucky had not yet locked the door.