Twisted killer Sameer Syed will be buried separately to the wife and children he murdered, officials have confirmed.
Officials at the Islamic Foundation of Ireland have said that they will not bury Sameer anywhere near his tragic wife Seema Banu and her two children Asfira, 11 and Faizan, six, should they be contacted to bury him in Ireland.
The officials, who arranged the burials of the tragic murder victims, say that while they are expecting to be contacted about Sameer’s funeral, they haven’t yet – but if they are, he will be buried in the same cemetery in Newcastle, Co Dublin, apart from his family.
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“If we are asked, we’ve already made the decision that he will be buried separately,” Fazel Ryklief, Administration Officer with IFI told the Irish Mirror.
Evil triple killer Sameer Syed, who had been due to go on trial for the murders this week, hanged himself in his cell in the Midlands Prison last Thursday.
Mr Ryklief says he fully expects to be contacted about Sameer’s funeral even if his body is repatriated to India instead.
He says it is most likely that he will be contacted to at least arrange a washing of the killer’s corpse and for prayers to be said before the coffin is sealed.
“If the embassy gets in touch with us and asks us to do the Islamic rituals before burial we will. That would mean us having him washed and shrouded and a prayer said.
“That would also happen before they would organise his repatriation, because the law says you cannot open a coffin once it’s sent abroad,” he explained. However in the case where Sameer is buried in Ireland, his body will go to Newcastle cemetery.
“I’ve said to myself the only thing I will do is bury him separately. We have Newcastle cemetery which is where a lot was given to us by the council and it is the only Muslim cemetery in Dublin, so we expect that if the authorities get in touch with us, his burial will be there,” he said.
Infamously ruthless killer Sameer, who had not been arrested yet over the murders of his wife and kids, had them buried in Newcastle cemetery – despite the wishes of Ms Banu’s family to bring them back to India.
Mr Ryklief says that at the time he and the others involved in arranging those tragic burials had no choice — and they had no reasons to refuse Sameer, given he had not been arrested for any crime at that stage. I met him here in the office and I took all the details and arranged with the undertakers.
“At the time when the funeral happened no one was suspected. It was only months after that they arrested him.
“So we sympathised with him and everything else because it is the right thing to do when someone loses their wife and their children.
“And of course the police weren’t saying anything. We didn’t have any information as to what happened.
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“You have to assume someone is not guilty until he’s put on trial.”
Mr Ryklief added that his memory of Syed at the time was of a “quiet man” who kept his mouth shut, only answering what questions were asked of him about the burial.
“I suppose he was very quiet. He didn’t open his mouth, he just answered our questions.”
He added that many in the Muslim community in Dublin are still “coming to terms” with the tragedy.
Gardai were assisting the family to come over for the end of the trial but they have now offered to help bring them here to visit the graves.
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