A grief-stricken mother, who lost her husband and young daughter in a horror train accident 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 – fly into Sydney on Tuesday evening to help her contend with the devastating ordeal.
The 39-year-old had been on a family outing with IT engineer husband Anand, 40, and twin two-year-old daughters, Hilal and Hiya, on Sunday when the girls’ pram rolled onto the train tracks at Carlton Station, in Sydney’s south, about 12.25pm.
Mr Runwal desperately leapt down onto the tracks in an heroic attempt to save his daughters before a passing train struck and killed him and one of the little girls, Hilal. Her sister, Hiya, escaped virtually unscathed.
Nadeen Ahmed, who runs the Indians in Sydney Facebook group, said the entire community had been devastated by the tragedy and were rallying around Mrs Runwal to support her in any way possible.
‘It’s been a very hard situation as they only moved here in October last year, so she doesn’t have any family here to help,’ Mr Ahmed told Daily Mail Australia.
‘The wife has been a part of our group since then and we have been doing everything we can to look after her and care for her and her (surviving) daughter.
Anand, 40, and Poonam Runwal, 39, had been together for 14 years
‘We even started organising a fundraiser for them but the family got in touch and asked us not to do that.’
He said the family were extremely worried that online scammers would exploit Mr Runwal and Hilal’s deaths by setting up fake fundraising accounts designed to defraud genuine supporters.
‘The family didn’t want anyone to use this tragedy to steal people’s money,’ he said. ‘I don’t think they would be able to handle seeing fake fundraising accounts online.’
Instead, he said Mr 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’re handling all the formalities and costs. They (Infosys) have even appointed a lady to be with the family to make sure everything is taken care of,’ he said.
‘We also want to make sure the family wish’s are respected and are asking that no one raise funds for them without their express blessing but, for now, just to keep them in your prayers.’
Westpac, where Mr Runwal worked as an IT consultant provided by Infosys, has also stepped up and offered to help his widow and surviving young daughter.
‘Anand was a much-loved member of our technology team, working with us as one of our IT service providers,’ Westpac chief information officer Scott Collary said.
‘We’re devastated by this tragic accident and our hearts go out to Anand’s family and friends at this difficult time.
‘We’re providing support to his family and his colleagues here at Westpac. He will be greatly missed.’
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Infosys for comment.
Former neighbour Benzin told Daily Mail Australia the couple, who had been together for 14 years, had struggled to build their family before they welcomed their two miracle babies.
He described Hinal and Hiya as ‘happy, gentle, little girls’.
‘I believe they were trying to have kids for about 10 years, they were married a long time and were a happy family,’ he said.
‘The twins were always in matching outfits.
‘They loved coming over and playing with our son – he is four and the girls are two so we would give them a lot of his old toys.’
Benzin described the family as ‘very friendly’ and said Ms Runwal was a great cook, with the children often spending time at each other’s homes.
Breaking down into tears, Benzin said it had been difficult to explain to his son what had happened.
‘He keeps asking to see the girls. He is only four – it is too hard for him to understand so we have told him they moved back to India,’ he said.
‘When we heard the news yesterday, I checked WhatsApp and saw Anand hadn’t checked WhatsApp since 11.30am.
‘And then we went past their place 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 at Watsons Bay in Sydney’s eastern suburbs, Ms Runwal wrote: ‘Happy Anniversary my everything.’
Other posts online reveal the family had been making the most of their time in Australia, frequently hiring cars and drivers for weekends out of Sydney, including to Kiama on the south coast and the Hunter Valley.
Hinal (left) and Hiya (right) Runwal
Friends of the family have revealed they spent almost a decade trying to have kids before welcoming their miracle twins
The revelation comes after Daily Mail Australia revealed Ms Runwal and Hiya could face deportation in 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 firm in North Sydney, with Ms Runwal and the girls listed as dependants on his skilled workers visa.
The visa was due to expire on August 1 and Mr Runwal was in the process of having it renewed.
Mr Runwal sought advice on Facebook five weeks ago about the process for applying for fast-tracked passports for both he and his wife, as they were needed to apply for the new visa.
‘My visa is going to expire on Aug 1 2024, whereas my passport has [an] expiry date of February 2025,’ he wrote.
‘As per my employer, I need to have at least 12 months expiry date from today on my passport to extend my visa.’
As Ms Runwal’s visa is reliant on her husband’s working visa, her right to stay in Australia is now at risk as she grapples with the heartbreaking tragedy.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted the Department of Home Affairs for comment who are investigating the case.
The family had just arrived on the platform, after taking a lift down from the station, when the pram rolled onto the tracks.
Witnesses said Mr Runwal heroically leapt into action and jumped down onto the tracks in a desperate bid to save his daughters. He was attempting to lift the pram back onto the platform when he was struck.
The twins’ father heroically jumped onto the tracks to try and save his daughters but was struck by a train passing through, killing him and one of the little girls
Lauren Langelaar was working across the road when the tragedy unfolded. She ran to the platform after hearing the mother’s screams for help.
‘I ran out to help the mother because I could just hear her screaming while looking down onto the tracks,’ Ms Langelaar told Daily Mail Australia.
‘It all happened very quickly. I was down on the platform helping the mother try and scream out to her children and husband under the train.’
Ms Langelaar said a Sydney Trains worker, who was on the platform, called emergency services and explained they could ‘only hear one child crying’.
When police arrived, they told Ms Langelaar to hold the mother back while officers jumped onto the tracks.
‘As I sat [Ms Runwal] down, the little girl got pulled out of under the train with hardly a scratch on her, she was just crying,’ Ms Langelaar said.
She said Mr Runwal ‘begged’ paramedics to hand over her little girl so that she could hold her but was initially denied as they assessed the toddler’s injuries.
‘She refused at first for paramedics to check her out, she just wanted to hold her,’ Ms Langelaar said.
One woman, Lauren Langelaar, ran to the platform after hearing the mother’s screams and had to restrain her as emergency services looked for her husband and children
Floral tributes were placed at Carlton Railway Station for the hero dad and his little girl who were killed by the train
‘Then she continued to yell out, ‘Where is my husband and other child?’.’
Ms Langelaar said paramedics continued to assess the little girl while she was in her mother’s arms as she ‘didn’t seem to be hurt’ and only had a ‘slight bump on the back of her head’.
The surviving toddler was taken to St George Hospital with her mother where they were assessed by doctors before being released.
NSW Police Superintendent Paul Dunstan said the parents appeared to have taken their hands off the pram for a ‘very short period of time’ before it rolled towards the tracks.
Mr Dunstan said police were investigating what caused the pram to roll and said it could have been something as simple as a ‘gust of wind’.
NSW premier Chris Minns, who lives within 100m of the station, said the father died while performing an ‘extraordinary, instinctual act of bravery’.
‘He gave his own life to try and save his children,’ he said.