Dubai: Of the total number of suicide casesreported from Dubai in 2009 about 70 per cent were Indian nationals, a news report has said adding that of a total 113 people who chose to end their lives, 79 were from the subcontinent.

Citing official figures, Emirates 24/7 said that in 2008, of the 148 cases, 110 were Indians, representing about 74.3 per cent while in the first 10 months of 2010 there were 56 Indian expatriates among the 94 suicide cases a 59.5 per cent of the total number.

While in the first 10 months of 2009, 71 Indians ended their lives among the total 99 people a 71.1 per cent of the total cases. This was a decline of 21 per cent. The month of May last year witnessed the most number of suicide cases, when 10 Indians ended their lives followed by September (9 Indians), January (eight) and March (seven), figures say.

In April and June the figures were six each and in August three each and in February and October two each. Eight Pakistanis were among the 94 reported cases last year. According to an unnamed Indian Consulate official quoted in the report, the hike in the number of suicides among Indians was due to financial reasons.

Some of them had not got their salaries for about six months before they took the drastic step- especially those in the construction field. He added the consulate does receive complaints in this regard. The UAE Ministry of Labour, in fact, has made it mandatory for all listed companies to adopt the WPS system. The high number of Indians can also be attributed to the fact that people from the subcontinent form the majority of expatriates. (PTI)