in a further shocking turn of events, 39-year-old grief-stricken Poonam Runwal and Hiya could face deportation from Australia in the coming days in the wake of the Carlton Train station tragedy.
Poonam, originally from Rajasthan, and Anand who grew up in Bangalore, celebrated their 14th wedding anniversary.
The Runwal family moved to Sydney from India in October 2023 after 40-year-old Anand Runwal secured a job at an IT firm in North Sydney.
On Anand’s skilled worker’s visa application, Daily Mail Australia has revealed that Poonam and the two girls are listed as dependants. This visa was due to expire on 1 August 2024 and Anand was in the process of having it renewed.
It has been revealed that five weeks ago Anand also sought advice on a Facebook community page about the process for applying for fast-tracked passports for both him and his wife, as they were needed to apply for the new visa.
Anand wrote:
“My visa is going to expire on 1 August 2024, whereas my passport has [an] expiry date of February 2025. As per my employer, I need to have at least 12 months expiry date from today on my passport to extend my visa.”
As Poonam’s visa is reliant on her husband’s working visa, her right to stay in Australia is now at risk as she grapples with the heartbreaking tragedy.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted the Department of Home Affairs for comment who are investigating the case.
Poonam Runwal who lost her husband, Anand, and young daughter, Hilal, in a horrific train accident, has implored people not to raise funds for her shattered family. She fears that her husband and daughter’s tragic deaths will be exploited by unscrupulous online scammers.
Poonam’s plea comes as members of her extended family – including her sister and brother-in-law – arrive in Sydney to help her contend with the devastating ordeal.
The 39-year-old had been on a family outing with her IT engineer husband Anand and their twin two-year-old daughters, Hilal and Hiya, when the girls’ pram rolled onto the train tracks at Carlton Station, in Sydney’s south, around 12:25 pm.
Anand desperately leapt down onto the tracks in a heroic attempt to save his daughters before a passing train struck and killed him and one of the little girls, Hilal. Her sister, Hiya, escaped virtually unscathed.
The surviving toddler was taken to St George Hospital with her mother where they were assessed by doctors before being released.
NSW Premier Chris Minns, who lives within 100 metres of the station, said the father died while performing an “extraordinary, instinctual act of bravery”.
“He gave his own life to try and save his children.”
Nadeen Ahmed, who runs the Indians in Sydney Facebook group, told the Daily Mail Australia that the entire community had been devastated by the tragedy and was rallying around Poonam Runwal to support her in any way possible.
“It’s been a very hard situation as they only moved here in October last year, so she doesn’t have any family here to help. The wife has been a part of our group since then and we have been doing everything we can to look after her and care for her and her (surviving) daughter. We even started organising a fundraiser for them but the family got in touch and asked us not to do that.”
Nadeem added that right now the family is worried that online scammers would exploit Anand Runwal and Hilal’s deaths by setting up fake fundraising accounts designed to defraud genuine supporters.
“The family didn’t want anyone to use this tragedy to steal people’s money. I don’t think they would be able to handle seeing fake fundraising accounts online.”
Infosys, Anand’s employer, has offered to assist the family with their ongoing expenses and help them take care of all funeral arrangements. They have also appointed someone to be with the family to make sure everything is taken care of.
An Infosys spokesperson said in a statement that everyone at the company was heartbroken by the tragedy and that they were doing everything they could to assist the family.
“We are deeply shocked and saddened by the tragic passing of our colleague and his small child on Sunday. Our prayers are with his wife, his other child, extended family and colleagues. We are providing every possible support to his family during this time of grief, and are also in touch with local authorities.”
Westpac, where Anand Runwal worked as an IT consultant provided by Infosys, has also stepped up and offered to help Poonam and Hiya.
Westpac Chief Information Officer Scott Collary said in a statement:
“Anand was a much-loved member of our technology team, working with us as one of our IT service providers. We’re devastated by this tragic accident and our hearts go out to Anand’s family and friends at this difficult time. We’re providing support to his family and his colleagues here at Westpac. He will be greatly missed.”
NSW Police Superintendent Paul Dunstan said the parents appeared to have taken their hands off the pram for a “very short period of time” before it rolled towards the tracks. He added that police were investigating what caused the pram to roll and said it could have been something as simple as a “gust of wind”.
In the wake of this tragedy, Sydney commuters have called for more safety provisions at train stations.
NSW Premier Chris Minns has said an investigation will assess whether there were any additional safety measures that could be introduced to prevent similar tragedies from occurring.
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