Tuesday’s fire in a residential building in Bochum, Germany, has cut short the lives of three young Indians from Kerala, turning their dreams of building new careers in a foreign land into a tragedy just months and weeks after they arrived there.The three are Anjali S Joy (27) from Kollam, Nova Sabu (25) from Idukki, and Sivin Johny (25) from Ernakulam.German news agency Deutsche Presse-Agentur reported that a fire broke out in a residential building in Bochum, which is a 517-km drive from Berlin, around 4:15 am local time on Tuesday. It said police arrested a 41-year-old resident, a Romanian national, on suspicion of murder.It was on Wednesday that the families in Kerala, who had been anxiously awaiting updates about their daughters and son, found out.Anjali went to Germany to work in a warehouse in July this year. Her father, Joy, retired from the agriculture department and her mother, Sheela, from the registration department. Her elder sister, Ashwini, is a postgraduate.“Every day she used to call her parents. As usual, she called them on Monday night too. But on Tuesday night, when she did not call, Joy dialled Anjali. When there was no response, Joy alerted a relative working 50 kilometres away. He rushed to Bochum and found out about the tragedy,” said Prasanna Pius, a friend of the family and a local panchayat member.Anjali left Kerala for Germany after her attempts to find her dream job as a school teacher went in vain. She holds a Bachelor of Education degree. “After obtaining a B.Ed degree, she attended the recruitment exams conducted by the State Public Service Commission. She also tried her luck with other exams. To keep the dream job alive, Anjali taught at private tuition centres before flying to Germany to build a new career,” said Prasanna.Story continues below this adIn Yordahanapuram near Kalady in Ernakulam, Sivin John’s family mourned his death before he could even start work. Son of farmer Konooran John and the late Lissy, Sivin went to Germany on September 14. Earlier, he had worked with a career and overseas course consultancy firm.“He had gone to Germany on a work visa and was slated to join the job on Monday (October 12). Sivin’s younger brother Salvin is a nursing student in Germany. Salvin recently came home for a short vacation and returned to Germany on September 5; the elder brother joined a week later. Sivin has been staying with his brother. On Sunday night, Sivin informed his father that he would start the job on Monday and move to the new premises. Sivin had left his passport and other documents with his brother, who lived two hours from Bochum. That led to a delay in identifying his body,” said Kaladi panchayat member Lekha Valsan.Sivin’s elder sister, Simi, is a nurse in the UK. “She is supposed to marry in May, and the brothers were supposed to join,” said Lekha.Only two and a half months ago, Nova Sabu, a native of Shanthigram village in Idukki, left for Germany to build a career as a gym trainer. She is the daughter of retired police sub-inspector Sabu and junior health inspector Jyothi. Her elder brother, Noyal, works as a management professional in Canada.Story continues below this adHer relative Sajeev said Nova was active in sports during college and chose a career as a gym trainer. She worked in Idukki for some time and obtained an international certificate.“On Wednesday, Keralites working and studying in Germany informed us about the tragedy and Nova’s death. We heard from Keralites living in the region that the apartment was set on fire following a dispute involving a building owner. Nova and others were sleeping upstairs when smoke filled their rooms. The fire and rescue team found them unconscious after inhaling smoke. They did not suffer burns, as per reports from Keralites in the vicinity,” said her relative Sajeev.Officials at the Department of Non-Resident Keralites Affairs said they are in touch with the Indian embassy and expatriate associations to ensure the bodies reach home soon.