Gardaí investigating the killing of Seema Banu and her two children in south Dublin are reviewing recordings of video calls she made to her family in a distressed state shortly before her death.
Detectives are still trying to establish the exact circumstances of the three deaths. Ms Banu (37), her daughter Asfira Riza (11) and son Faizan Syed (6) were found by gardaí in their home at Llewellyn Court, Ballinteer on October 28th. Postmortems showed all three died as a result of strangulation and a ligature was found near Ms Banu's body.
A murder investigation is ongoing with gardaí trying to establish if Ms Banu killed herself and her children or if all three were murdered by another person. It is understood crime scene and pathology evidence has not yet pointed definitively in either direction.
Ms Banu had made a complaint to gardaí of assault shortly before her death and had obtained a court order directing a male person to stay away from her.
In one video call to her family in India, details of which were reported by the Irish Daily Star on Tuesday, she said she feared for her life and intended to return home to India in the very near future.
Her family recorded the call and have sent it to gardaí. Garda sources have confirmed this footage will form an important part of their investigation.
"An Garda Síochána are continuing a comprehensive and complex investigation in this matter. There is no further updates to report at this time," said a Garda spokesman.
Gardaí have spoken to one person, who had been described by sources as a someone of interest, shortly after the bodies were found. But no arrests have been made.
Ms Banu and her children were buried together last week in Newcastle Cemetery in Dublin following a small ceremony attended by her husband Sameer Syed and Indian ambassador Sandeep Kumar. Her family watched via webcam from their village of Halaganahalli.
Elderly parents interviewed
Ms Banu's family had requested the remains be returned home to Karnataka region in India. But Mr Syed indicated he wished for the burials to take place in Ireland in line with Islamic tradition that the dead are buried without delay.
Ms Banu’s family have been vocal in the Indian and Irish media that she did not take her own life. They have also conveyed this belief to gardaí through a family liaison officer.
Detectives have interviewed Ms Banu’s elderly parents and her brother via video call about her mood and behaviour in the lead-up to the deaths.
Family members described Ms Banu as being extremely distressed and fearful in her contacts with them, including showing them recent injuries she had suffered.
Ms Banu, who was one of four brothers and four sisters, came from a farming family near the city of Mysuru.
She married Mr Syed, a software engineer, 13 years ago and lived in Dubai before moving to Ireland last February and enrolling Asfira and Faizan in the local Ballinteer Educate Together National School. The Health Service Executive is providing psychological support to staff and students at the school.
