EXCLUSIVE
The mother who lost her husband and one of her twin daughters in the horrific train tragedy on Sunday is returning to India for good with the remains of her loved ones.
Anand Runwal, 40, died along with his two-year-old daughter Hinal after they were hit by a train as he desperately tried to save the twins when their pram rolled onto the tracks at Carlton station in Sydney’s south.
His other daughter Hiya miraculously escaped and was pulled from under the train virtually unharmed.
Now devastated, 39-year-old mother Poonam Runwal is set to fly back to India next week after being deported by Australia within days over a visa dispute.
Close friends of the couple told Daily Mail Australia that arrangements had already been made to repatriate the bodies for a traditional burial in Bijapur, Mr Runwal’s hometown.
“The family wants to bring Anand and Hinal home as soon as possible,” they said. “They have started to deal with the formalities – it is chaotic and there is so much to be done.
“But they will leave as soon as possible so that they can hold the funerals in India.”
Anand Runwal (right) and his wife Poonam Runwal with their two-year-old twin daughters
Hinal Runwal (left) tragically died in the disaster, while twin sister Hiya miraculously survived
Emergency services and police inspect the scene of the train crash in southern Sydney
The Runwals were on a family outing and had just arrived at the platform when the twin daughters’ stroller was rolled onto the train tracks.
Mr Runwal heroically jumped onto the tracks to lift their pram back onto the platform when he and Hinal were killed by the passing train.
New South Wales Police Commissioner Paul Dunstan said the parents appeared to have taken their hands off the pram for a “very short period” as it rolled towards the tracks.
According to Chief Dunstan, an investigation is underway to determine what caused the stroller to roll. It could be something as simple as a “gust of wind.”
The Runwals, who had been together for 14 years, had become beloved members of the local Kogarah community since moving to Sydney’s south in October.
Members of the extended family, including Mrs Runwal’s sister and brother-in-law, flew to Australia from India this week to support the widow, who has now given up her family’s dream of a new life in Australia.
Ms Runwal will reportedly return to Bangalore, India, after the funerals of her husband and daughter, so she can be close to her family as she tries to get her life in order.
“This is such a tragedy and there are so many sad memories for Poonam now, she will not be able to come back,” a family friend said.
Sympathetic local residents supported Mrs Runwal’s request to be allowed to remain in the country if they themselves decided to stay, after Daily Mail Australia revealed that she and her daughter would be deported as a result of the tragedy.
The family moved to Sydney from India in October 2023 after Mr Runwal found a job with an IT company in North Sydney. Ms Runwal and the girls were listed as dependents on his skilled worker visa.
His visa was due to expire next week and he was in the process of getting it extended. His wife’s visa was dependent on his being allowed to stay in Australia.
On Thursday, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese backed calls for the family to remain in Australia, urging his Home Affairs Minister to treat Ms Runwal with generosity and compassion.
“It is of course a ministerial decision, but I believe these matters should be treated with the compassion that Australians have a right to expect from us,” Albanese said.
“This mother has had to watch her husband and one of her twin children tragically die. I would have thought that we are a generous country and that the hearts of Australians would go out to this woman and her young child.”
The Home Office was unable to comment on the Runwals’ visa issue.
Authorities are reportedly aware of the sensitive case and have been in contact with family representatives to provide appropriate assistance.
The family tragedy has stirred up many emotions and tributes have poured in from across the country.
But despite the outpouring of support, the family urged people not to try to raise money online to support Ms Runwal.
Nadeen Ahmed, who runs the Facebook group Indians in Sydney, told Daily Mail Australia the family was deeply concerned that unscrupulous internet scammers would exploit the tragedy.
Shocking CCTV footage shows a young family’s final moments together before they are torn apart by unimaginable tragedy when their stroller ends up on train tracks
Tributes have been left at the station for Anand Runwal and his two-year-old daughter Hilal
They feared that criminals would try to exploit the deaths by creating fake fundraising accounts designed to defraud genuine donors.
“The family didn’t want anyone to use this tragedy to steal money from people,” he said. “I don’t think they could stand to see fake fundraising accounts online.”
Instead, Mr Runwal’s employer, Infosys, has been helping the family with their current expenses and arranging all funeral arrangements.
Mrs Runwal also receives additional support from Westpac, where her husband worked as an IT consultant at Infosys.
New South Wales Premier Chris Minns, who lives less than 100 metres from the station, said the father died in an “extraordinary, instinctive act of bravery”.
“He gave his own life to save his children,” he said.