T K Azeez (60), an Indian expatriate well-known for his selfless services in repatriating the bodies of expatriates to their home countries, passed away in sleep at his home in Bin Mahmoud area in the early hours Friday.

Azeez, who was an assistant at the Hamad Hospital mortuary, was honoured more than once for his services to the expatriates.

A long term Doha resident, Azeez was in Qatar for more than 30 years, according to his friends. Azeez, a native of Meppayoor in Kozhikode district,  Kerala, leaves behind his wife Subaida and two sons.
On several occasions, Azeez had come forward voluntarily to repatriate the dead bodies of expatriates when he found that the relatives and well-wishers of the departed were facing severe difficulties in undertaking such tasks.
The death came at a time when the Indian Community Benevolent Forum (ICBF), working under the aegis of the Indian embassy, was planning to honour Azeez among others at a function next month. “We were not that late in honouring Azeez but he left us quite unexpectedly” ICBF vice president P N Baburajan told Gulf Times.
Kerala Muslim Cultural Centre Qatar was also planning to host a function next month to honour Azeez, it is learnt.
Prominent social activist and humanitarian worker Abdul Salam Palakkad said Azeez had spoken to him late in the evening on Thursday and they were supposed to meet in the morning to help repatriate the body of a person who was on a visit of Qatar. The visitor was in Doha to be with his son who is a doctor here. “I was shocked when I was woken up in Friday morning by a doctor at Hamad Hospital, who informed me about the unexpected demise of Azeez,” Abdul Salam said.
Efforts are underway to repatriate Azeez’s body to India, a friend added.

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