Two Saudi Arabian sisters discovered dead inside their Sydney flat died in a suspected suicide pact after being cut off from their family months before, according to police.
On June 7, 2022, Asra Abdullah Alsehli, 24, and Amaal Abdullah Alsehli, 23, were discovered dead inside their Canterbury flat in the city’s south-west, five years after fleeing their nation and arriving in Australia with $5,000 in savings.
According to the Daily Telegraph, NSW Police think the couple remained inside the flat from late February, shortly after they stopped receiving money, until early April, when they died.
Toxicology examinations discovered anomalous quantities of salt, nitrate, and fluoride in the flat, with police claiming they’strongly’ suspect the sisters died as a result of a suicide pact.
‘There was a trickle of money going to them from their (family),’ one person told the Daily Telegraph. ‘We don’t know why it stopped, but it appears there was some sort of disagreement with their family overseas.
‘They then cut off communication with everyone.’
The fresh allegations were made in a police report to the coroner.
On February 3, 2022, the sisters received a last payment of more than $4,400 from family in Saudi Arabia.
Amaal, who was in charge of the cash, contributed $960 to their biweekly rent and then sent $2,000 to her sister.
The females also drove a black BMW car, which costs around $38,000.
Jay Hu, their rental agent, stated that the women were ‘excellent’ tenants when they first moved in two years ago and had proof of ‘ample’ savings until falling behind on rent in early 2022.
Building manager Michael Baird requested the police check on the two women, who refused to open the door when authorities arrived.
‘Eventually, the door was opened, and the cops stood at the door, questioning the females,’ he told the ABC.
‘They stated that they were fine. They did not want the cops involved. And the cops let it go at that.’
While the exact cause of death is unknown, numerous reports say the girls had a falling out with their ‘well-connected’ family.
From late February to early April, they remained in their flat, only speaking to their father once more and getting a visit from a NSW Sheriff.
After falling behind on their rent by $5,000, the sheriff informed the young women that they would be ‘kicked out or evicted’ from the Canterbury unit.
In the months before the youngsters were discovered, authorities conducted three welfare checks while mail piled up outside their door.
When the sheriff’s office returned to evict them in June, they discovered the two girls’ deaths in separate bedrooms on the first floor.
No evidence was uncovered that the girls were being followed by a private investigator, as they had suggested to several of their acquaintances.
Instead, people familiar with the inquiry believe the girls were aware of the hazards of returning to Saudi Arabia and chose to commit themselves.
Another source stated that the chemical mixture identified in the sisters’ bodies could no longer be recognised two months later.
‘It appears to be a suicide agreement. They must have taken a pill or something and only had enough for themselves because no signs of chemicals or anything else were found in the flat, or anyone else entering,’ they told the Daily Telegraph.
Police are not planning to charge anyone in connection with the killings.
The sisters lived in Fairfield, a western Sydney neighbourhood with a substantial Arabic-speaking community, after arriving in Australia in 2017.
They applied for subclass 866 protection visas in 2022, which require applicants to have landed legitimately in Australia and have valid reasons for seeking asylum.
According to The Australian Times, Asra claimed to be an atheist in her application, while Amaal claimed to be a lesbian.
According to police, the sisters went to a girls-only gay event in January 2022.
In Saudi Arabia, where the legal system is founded on a strict interpretation of Sharia law, both same-sex relationships and atheism are officially prohibited.
According to reports in Middle Eastern newspapers at the time of the shocking discovery, the sisters had rejected Islam.
