Relatives of murder victims Seema Banu and her two kids wept as two nephews video-called them from their graves yesterday.
And in an exclusive interview with the Irish Mirror, Seema’s nephew Kashief Ahmed told how “nothing will ever replace” their “gems”. Seema, 37, her daughter Asfira Riza, 11, and six-year-old son Faizan Syed, were strangled by Seema’s husband Sameer Syed.
He had been charged with their murders but took his own life in the Midlands Prison last year before he stood trial. Ahead of their inquests today, Kashief also explained that while they do not want to listen to the gruesome details of their deaths they feel it may give them some closure.
Read more: Grieving relatives of murdered mum and kids to fly to Ireland to visit graves
Kashief along with another nephew of Seema, Suhan Syed, were driven to Newcastle Cemetery, Co Dublin, by gardai. The pair were assisted by the force to travel the over 8,000km trip to Ireland from the Mysore district in Karnataka state, in the southwest of India.
They both said prayers before they planted flowers on the graves. Then they video-called family members back in India who roared crying down the phone.
Kashief and Suhan are the first relatives of Seema and the two children to visit the graves nearly two-and-a-half years on from their harrowing deaths. They were strangled to death at their home in Llewellyn Court, Rathfarnham, south Dublin in October 2020 in a triple murder which stunned the nation.
Speaking at their graveside yesterday, an emotional Kashief told the Irish Mirror: “We are the first family members to visit the grave. She was such a lovely woman. We lost three gems and no one can replace them or fill a place for them.
“The video call was awful, everyone was crying. For me, I wanted to come here and the Garda helped us to get here so we are very grateful.”
Thug Sameer, who subjected Seema to a brutal campaign of terror in the marriage, was not arrested in the immediate aftermath of the murders and insisted that the mother and kids be buried in Dublin. Despite the best efforts of Seema’s family, he got his way.
Read more: Triple killer Sameer Syed's body flown back to his home in India for family burial
Vile Syed even sobbed over the coffins at the burial despite being the man who took their lives. Kashief added: “It remains hard to accept that they are buried here and not at home. We tried a lot to get the bodies home but we were helpless.”
Kashief said he and Suhan did not want to attend today's inquest but hopes it may help him and his family with their grief. He added: “We don’t want to but maybe yes, it might give some closure.”
Remembering Seema, grieving Kashief told how she was the decision-maker for the family. He smiled and told us: “Everyone from the older people to the younger people listen to her.
“She was always the right person to have a suggestion for whatever case. If she didn’t know she would have asked and helped out. Faizan, he was cheeky and funny. He wanted me to buy bikes with him. Asfira was like my sister.”
Seema’s family also thanked the investigation teams based at Blackrock and Dundrum Garda stations for their work in the case and the assistance they have given. The death of Seema came after a litany of abuse at the hands of Sameer who repeatedly attacked her during their relationship.
The day after he murdered Seema and her two children, Sameer was due to appear in Dublin Circuit Criminal Court charged with launching a “serious assault” on her on May 16, 2020. As a result of that, he had been ordered to stay away from the family and was living in a different home in Rathmines.
Read more: Evil Sameer Syed tried to strangle his wife twice before killing family
He had also tried to strangle her in India and again in Ireland as she tried to escape. But determined Seema was set to return home to India with her kids to flee the monster, but he took their lives before they could.
Just 40 days following Seema’s death, her family’s grief was compounded by the passing of her father Abdul Ghaffar, while her mum Qurishid-un-nisa is currently very ill. Seema had been living in Ireland for a number of months and her kids were in the local Ballinteer Educate Together National School who at the time paid tribute to them.
Sameer was arrested at the end of November 2020 and was then charged with the three killings. He never left custody. Final preparations were being made by prosecutors for his triple murder trial with the weight of evidence against him likely to lead to a conviction. But he ended his own life in his prison cell last June.
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