Indian in UAE helped famed actress Sridevi's body come home

AJMAN, United Arab Emirates – When famed Indian actress Sridevi died in the United Arab Emirates, a local compatriot helped get her body back home.

Ashraf "Sherry" Thamarassery, a 44-year-old man from Kerala who runs a mechanic's shop in Ajman, has become a ferryman of sorts for those who die here in the UAE.

From indebted laborers to the moneyed elite, Thamarassery has helped repatriate 4,700 bodies to 38 countries across the world.

Thamarassery told The Associated Press late Tuesday that he views it as a noble responsibility in this desert sheikhdom that draws so many so far from their homes, chief among them his compatriots.