Sridevi died due to 'accidental drowning'; her mortal remains likely to reach India today

Mumbai: The mortal remains of legendary actress Sridevi, who breathed her last on Saturday at around 11 pm in Dubai, is likely to arrive in Mumbai on Tuesday. The body of the veteran Bollywood actress will undergo embalming by Tuesday noon, said reports emerging from Dubai.

Sridevi - India’s first female superstar - died of ''drowning in the bathtub'' of room number 2201 of Jumeirah Emirates Towers Hotel after ''loss of consciousness'', the Dubai Police stated on Monday following the completion of post-mortem autopsy conducted on the late actress.

The case of Sridevi's death has been referred to the Dubai Public Prosecution for further investigation, UAE media reported.

“Further delay in return of mortal remains of Sridevi is expected because the Dubai police await clearance from Prosecution magistrate. Police reportedly informed Indian authorities the body can only be handed over after a clearance from prosecution magistrate”, sources told ANI.

India's Ambassador to UAE, Navdeep Suri took to Twitter Monday evening to post:

“The media interest in untimely demise of #Sridevi is understandable. But the frenzy of speculation does not help. Imp to note that:1. We are working with local authorities to ensure that mortal remains can be sent to India at the earliest. We are on the job.½  (sic)”

“ 2. We are in regular contact with the family of #Sridevi and other well- wishers. We share their pain.3. Our experience in similar cases tells us that it does take 2-3 days to complete processes 4. We leave it to the experts to determine cause of demise Let's be responsible (sic).”

The media interest in untimely demise of #Sridevi is understandable. But the frenzy of speculation does not help. Imp to note that:
1. We are working with local authorities to ensure that mortal remains can be sent to India at the earliest. We are on the job.
1/2 — IndAmbUAE (@navdeepsuri) 26 February 2018

2. We are in regular contact with the family of #Sridevi and other well- wishers. We share their pain.
3. Our experience in similar cases tells us that it does take 2-3 days to complete processes
4. We leave it to the experts to determine cause of demise
Let's be responsible — IndAmbUAE (@navdeepsuri) 26 February 2018

According to the Gulf News, a chief prosecutor said, “In such accidental death incidents, the results of the post-mortem and forensic examination reports are referred to the Public Prosecution as part of ordinary law enforcement procedures. The papers are revised by the prosecutors of the jurisdiction where the incident happened. An official order to hand over the body of the deceased to the family or relatives is issued shortly after that.”

In case of any suspicious foul play, prosecutors would carry out further detailed investigations and decide on any future law enforcement procedures accordingly, said the chief prosecutor.

According to a report in Gulf News, Sridevi, who was under the influence of alcohol, lost her balance and fell into the bathtub and drowned.

Sridevi was in Ras Al Khaimah in UAE last week, along with husband Boney Kapoor, daughter Khushi and other relatives to attend nephew Mohit Marwah’s wedding ceremony.

She had posted pictures of her family from the ceremony just a few days before she passed away.

Born in Sivakasi in Tamil Nadu on August 13, 1963, Sridevi began her career at the age of four in the devotional film Thunaivan in which she played Lord Murugan.

Besides Tamil,Sridevi worked in Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and Hindi productions. She went on to become one of the most formidable actresses of the 1980s and 1990s in Hindi cinema. From a child artiste, she became Indian cinema’s first female superstar.

She is remembered for her spellbinding performances in some of the iconic Bollywood films like Mr. India, Nagina, Lamhe, Sadma, ChalBaaz, Chandni, Khuda Gawah, among many others in different Indian languages.

Sridevi, who made a comeback to Bollywood in 2012 with English Vinglish after a long break of 15 years, was last seen in Mom in 2017. She shot for a cameo appearance in October for Shah Rukh Khan’s upcoming film Zero which is expected to release in December this year.