A grieving mother, who lost her husband and baby daughter in a horrific train crash at the weekend, has implored people not to raise funds for her shattered family for fear their tragic deaths will be exploited by unscrupulous online scammers.
Poonam Runwal’s plea comes as members of her extended family, including her sister and brother-in-law, flew to Sydney on Tuesday night to help her deal with the devastating experience.
The 39-year-old had been on a family outing with her IT engineer husband Anand, 40, and their two-year-old twin daughters Hilal and Hiya on Sunday when the girls’ pram rolled onto the train tracks at Carlton station in Sydney’s south at about 12.25pm.
Mr Runwal desperately jumped onto the tracks in a heroic attempt to save his daughters before a passing train hit him, killing him and one of the girls, Hilal. His sister, Hiya, escaped largely unharmed.
Nadeen Ahmed, who runs the Facebook group Indians in Sydney, said the entire community had been devastated by the tragedy and was rallying around Ms Runwal to support her in any way possible.
“It’s been a very difficult situation because they moved here in October last year so she doesn’t have any family here to help her,” Ahmed told Daily Mail Australia.
‘The wife has been part of our group ever since and we have been doing our best to care for and look after her and her (surviving) daughter.
Anand, 40, and Poonam Runwal, 39, had been together for 14 years.
“We even started to organize a fundraiser for them, but the family contacted us and asked us not to do it.”
He said the family was extremely concerned that online scammers would exploit the deaths of Runwal and Hilal by creating fake fundraising accounts designed to defraud genuine supporters.
“The family didn’t want anyone to use this tragedy to steal people’s money,” she said. “I don’t think they could stand seeing fake fundraising accounts on the Internet.”
Instead, he said Runwal’s employer, Infosys, had generously offered to assist the family with their ongoing expenses and help them take care of all funeral arrangements.
“They are taking care of all the paperwork and costs. They have even appointed a lady to be with the family and make sure everything is in order,” she said.
‘We also want to make sure the family’s wishes are respected and ask that no one raise funds for them without their express blessing, but for now, please just keep them in your prayers.’
An Infosys spokesman said everyone at the company was heartbroken by the tragedy and was doing everything possible to help Runwal’s family.
“We are deeply shocked and saddened by the tragic passing of our colleague and his young son on Sunday,” the spokesman said.
‘Our prayers are with his wife, his other son, his extended family and his colleagues.
‘We are providing all possible support to his family during this time of grief and are also in contact with local authorities.’
Westpac, where Runwal worked as an IT consultant for Infosys, also stepped in, offering to help his widow and surviving young daughter.
“Anand was a much-loved member of our technology team and worked with us as one of our IT service providers,” said Westpac Chief Information Officer Scott Collary.
‘We are devastated by this tragic accident and our hearts go out to Anand’s family and friends at this difficult time.
“We are providing support to his family and colleagues here at Westpac. He will be greatly missed.”
Former neighbour Benzin told Daily Mail Australia that the couple, who had been together for 14 years, had struggled to build their family before welcoming their two miracle babies.
She described Hinal and Hiya as “happy and gentle girls.”
“I think they were trying to have kids for about 10 years, they were married for a long time and they were a happy family,” she said.
‘The twins always wore matching clothes.
“They loved coming and playing with our son – he’s four and the girls are two, so we gave them a lot of their old toys.”
Benzin described the family as “very friendly” and said Ms. Runwal was a great cook and the children often spent time at each other’s homes.
Benzin broke down in tears and said it had been difficult for her to explain to her son what had happened.
“He keeps asking to see the girls. He is only four years old. It is very difficult for him to understand, so we have told him that they have moved back to India,” she said.
‘When we heard the news yesterday, I checked WhatsApp and saw that Anand had not checked WhatsApp since 11:30 am
“And then we stopped by their house to see if they were home. When we knocked on the door and there was no answer, we knew it wasn’t good news.”
In February, Ms. Runwal, originally from Rajasthan, and Mr. Runwal, who grew up in Bangalore, celebrated their 14th anniversary.
Sharing a photo of the couple at Camp Cove Beach in Watsons Bay, in Sydney’s eastern suburbs, Ms Runwal wrote: “Happy anniversary everyone.”
Other online posts reveal the family had been making the most of their time in Australia, frequently hiring cars and drivers for weekends away from Sydney, including to Kiama on the south coast and the Hunter Valley.
Hinal (left) and Hiya (right) Runwal
Family friends have revealed they spent almost a decade trying to have children before welcoming their miracle twins.
The revelation comes after Daily Mail Australia revealed that Runwal and Hiya could face deportation in the coming days in the wake of the tragedy.
The family moved to Sydney from India in October 2023 after Mr Runwal secured a job at an IT company in North Sydney, with Ms Runwal and the girls listed as dependents on his skilled worker visa.
The visa was due to expire on August 1 and Mr Runwal was in the process of renewing it.
Five weeks ago, Mr Runwal sought advice on Facebook on the process to apply for fast-track passports for both himself and his wife, as they were required to apply for the new visa.
“My visa will expire on August 1, 2024, while my passport is set to expire in February 2025,” she wrote.
‘According to my employer, I need to have at least 12 months of expiration date from today on my passport to extend my visa.’
As Ms Runwal’s visa is dependent on her husband’s work visa, her right to remain in Australia is now at risk as she faces this heartbreaking tragedy.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted the Department of Home Affairs, which is investigating the case, for comment.
The family had just arrived at the platform, after taking the elevator from the station, when the stroller entered the tracks.
Witnesses said Runwal heroically sprang into action and jumped onto the tracks in a desperate attempt to save his daughters. He was trying to lift the baby stroller back onto the platform when he was hit.
The twins’ father heroically jumped onto the tracks to try to save his daughters, but was hit by a passing train, killing him and one of the girls.
Lauren Langelaar was working across the street when the tragedy occurred. She ran to the platform after hearing the mother’s cries for help.
“I ran to help the mother because I could hear her screaming as she looked towards the tracks,” Langelaar told Daily Mail Australia.
“It all happened very quickly. I was on the platform helping the mother shout to her children and husband who were under the train.”
Ms Langelaar said a Sydney Trains worker, who was on the platform, called emergency services and explained that “all they could hear was a child crying”.
When police arrived, Ms Langelaar was told to hold the mother back while officers jumped onto the tracks.
“When I sat down (with Ms Runwal), the little girl came out from under the train with hardly a scratch on her, she was just crying,” Langelaar said.
She said Mr Runwal “begged” paramedics to hand over his little girl so he could hold her, but was initially refused while they assessed the child’s injuries.
“At first she refused to let the paramedics examine her, she just wanted to hug her,” Langelaar said.
A woman, Lauren Langelaar, ran onto the platform after hearing the mother’s screams and had to hold her back while emergency services searched for her husband and children.
Floral tributes were laid at Carlton train station for the hero father and his young daughter who were killed by the train.
“She then continued shouting: ‘Where are my husband and my other son?'”
Ms Langelaar said paramedics continued to assess the girl while she was in her mother’s arms as she “did not appear to be injured” and only had a “mild bump to the back of the head”.
The surviving girl was taken to St George’s Hospital with her mother, where they were assessed by doctors before being discharged.
New South Wales Police Superintendent Paul Dunstan said the parents apparently took their hands off the stroller for “a very brief period” before it rolled onto the tracks.
Dunstan said police were investigating what caused the stroller to tip over and said it could have been something as simple as a “gust of wind.”
New South Wales Premier Chris Minns, who lives 100 metres from the station, said the father died while carrying out an “extraordinary and instinctive act of bravery”.
“He gave his own life to try to save his children,” he said.
