DUBAI, November 12, 2026 – A flat tyre, a final telephone call and five minutes of silence ended the life of 21-year-old architecture student Naifa Balkies Hameed on a Dubai roadside. As her family mourns the daughter they affectionately called the light of their home, they are urging motorists to recognise the devastating consequences of reckless driving and the dangers faced by people stranded beside busy roads.
A 21-year-old Indian university student was killed after reportedly being struck by a speeding vehicle in Dubai, just minutes after telephoning her father for advice when her car developed a flat tyre.
Naifa Balkies Hameed, a final-year architecture student at Canadian University Dubai, died on Thursday, November 5, following the accident on Al Khawaneej Street in the Al Rashidiya area at approximately 3 p.m.
Originally from Thodupuzha in Kerala, India, Naifa was the youngest member of a family that had relocated to Dubai to support her higher education.
Her sudden death has devastated relatives, friends and lecturers, who remember her as a thoughtful young woman devoted to her studies and those closest to her.
A Father’s Final Conversation With His Daughter
Naifa was travelling to university in a vehicle belonging to her brother, Nihal Hameed, when one of its tyres lost air.
Her brother had remained in Kerala following a family wedding, and the car had reportedly not been driven for several days.
After stopping, Naifa contacted her father, Dubai-based businessman Binu Hameed, who was visiting Kerala.
Familiar with vehicles and their maintenance, he advised his daughter to contact a roadside recovery service and arrange for the car to be towed away.
He also suggested that she take a taxi to university once assistance had been arranged.
Approximately five minutes later, Binu telephoned again to check whether his daughter had received help.
There was no answer.
According to the family’s account, Dubai Police subsequently contacted relatives and informed them that Naifa had been struck by another vehicle while standing behind her stationary car.
The vehicle was reportedly travelling at high speed.
Naifa sustained fatal injuries and died at the scene.
Relatives said they were informed that the driver responsible had been arrested. An independent police statement confirming the reported arrest was not available in the reporting reviewed.
She Returned to Dubai Rather Than Miss Her Classes
The circumstances surrounding Naifa’s final days have made her death particularly painful for her family.
Her parents, Binu and Seena Hameed, and other relatives had travelled to Kerala to attend a wedding and spend time with family members.
Although several relatives remained in India for another family function, Naifa returned to Dubai with her mother because she was determined not to miss her university lectures.
Her family had made considerable commitments to support her ambition of completing a degree in architecture.
Naifa had been driving since she was 18 and was comfortable handling different vehicles, according to her uncle.
On the day of the accident, she had been using her brother’s car while he remained overseas.
What began as an ordinary journey to university ended before she could resume her studies.
The Young Woman They Called the Light of Their Home
To her family, Naifa was affectionately known as “Noon” or “Noony”, names associated with her place as the light of their household.
A close friend called her “Shukku”.
Relatives remember a young woman who celebrated the important moments in other people’s lives and made an effort to ensure that friends and family felt remembered.
She regularly sent greeting cards and gifts for birthdays and wedding anniversaries and was particularly affectionate towards young children.
Her kindness and thoughtfulness extended beyond her immediate family.
Canadian University Dubai’s Student Affairs Division issued a condolence message describing Naifa as a beloved student.
Professor Sanjeeva Pushpakumara also remembered her as a quiet, dedicated student who was deeply committed to learning.
Those who knew her described someone who listened attentively during lectures, valued education and wanted to make the most of every opportunity available to her.
Final Farewell in Kerala
Family members who had remained in Kerala returned to Dubai on Friday, November 6, following news of the accident.
After the necessary documentation and repatriation arrangements were completed, relatives and friends gathered at an embalming centre in Dubai on Saturday to pay their final respects.
Naifa’s remains were transported to Kerala later that night.
She was laid to rest at a mosque in her hometown of Thodupuzha on Sunday, November 8.
The funeral brought a painful conclusion to the final journey of a young woman whose family had expected her to return to India after completing her education, not in the circumstances that followed the accident.
Family Calls for Greater Road Safety
While mourning Naifa’s death, her family has appealed to motorists to exercise greater responsibility when approaching stationary vehicles and roadside emergencies.
Her sister-in-law, Maryam, has spoken about the lasting consequences of dangerous driving and the importance of respecting the safety of others.
The family’s appeal focuses on the need to obey traffic regulations, avoid excessive speed and remain alert to people who may be stranded beside a road because of mechanical problems.
Vehicles experiencing breakdowns can place their occupants in vulnerable situations, particularly where passing traffic is moving at high speed.
A flat tyre or mechanical failure should never become a fatal emergency simply because another motorist fails to exercise sufficient caution.
For Naifa’s family, the tragedy has left an absence that cannot be repaired.
Their hope is that sharing the circumstances of her death will encourage greater care among drivers and help prevent another household from experiencing the same loss.
Naifa’s life ended before she could complete her architecture degree, but her family’s message now reaches beyond Dubai and Kerala.
They want motorists everywhere to remember that a moment of recklessness can end one life and permanently alter many others.
