News In Brief

Bahrain mourns four Al Ramli fire victims

Funeral prayers were held yesterday at Manama Cemetery for the four victims of the Al Ramli housing fire — 27-year-old mother Ihsan Sharifi and her three children, Nasser Hassan Al Otaifi, 4; Ahmed Hassan Al Otaifi, 3; and eight-month-old Maryam Hassan Al Otaifi.

Family members and mourners gathered to bid a final farewell to the young mother and her children, three days after the fire that shocked Bahrain. The children’s father, Hassan AbdulAl Al Otaifi, was away from the family’s apartment when the blaze broke out on Tuesday afternoon.

The fire erupted on the first floor of a multi-storey residential building in Al Ramli Housing. A preliminary examination found that all four victims died from suffocation.

The Public Prosecution has launched an investigation and ordered the apartment to be sealed, while Civil Defence has been tasked with preparing a technical report to establish the cause of the fire and the circumstances surrounding the tragedy.

The deaths have drawn widespread public sympathy and high-level official attention, with condolences offered to Mr Al Otaifi and the Al Otaifi family over the loss of his wife and three children.

Police arrest suspects in BHD39,000 electronic fraud cases

The Economic Crimes Directorate has arrested several African and Asian nationals in two separate electronic fraud cases involving about BHD39,000 in allegedly stolen funds, the Ministry of Interior said.

The directorate launched investigations after receiving reports and identified the suspects, who were found to be linked to fraud networks operating outside Bahrain.

Evidence and seized items related to the cases have been secured, with legal procedures under way before the suspects are referred to the Public Prosecution. Suspected fraud should be reported through the Tawasul (My Government) app or 992 hotline.