Beautiful Virgin Islands

Tuesday, Jul 22, 2025

Uber driver dies from Covid-19 after hiding it over fear of eviction

Uber driver dies from Covid-19 after hiding it over fear of eviction

Rajesh Jayaseelan ‘starved’ himself, friend says, because he feared landlord finding out he was ill
An Uber driver has died from Covid-19 after trying to hide his illness for fear that he would be evicted if his landlord found out, a friend has revealed.

Rajesh Jayaseelan, a married father of two who came to London from India about a decade ago, died alone in Northwick Park hospital in Harrow on 11 April, according to Sunil Kumar, a friend of his.

The 44-year-old driver had “starved” for several days in his rented lodgings, telling his wife by phone that he did not want to leave his room because other residents might realise he had Covid-19 and he would be thrown out.

Kumar, 38, an NHS IT worker, said the fear was founded in an experience in March when a previous landlord allegedly ordered him to leave because he thought Jayaseelan, as a minicab driver, would spread the disease to him and his family. Jayaseelan had to sleep in his car for several nights.

By the time he drove himself to hospital earlier this month, his condition was becoming critical and he was placed on a ventilator. He died shortly after his wife and mother in Bangalore saw him unconscious in a final video call arranged by Kumar.

Jayaseelan is the third Uber driver confirmed to have died from Covid-19 in the capital, but there have been reports of several more. Zeeshan Ahmed, a father of two young children in his late 20s, died in St George’s Hospital in Tooting on Thursday. He had underlying health problems, a friend said.

“He is young, he left a young wife and children and he was the only child of his parents,” the friend told the Guardian. “He was a great person, very charming and full of life.”

Ayub Akhtar died last week of complications relating to Covid-19. Abdurzak Hadi, another driver who fell seriously ill, said the lack of clear guidelines and protection for minicab drivers left them highly vulnerable.

Some have improvised plastic barriers between the front and back seats, but many have not, concerned that doing so might breach their licence, Hadi said.

“We think that there have been at least six deaths of minicab drivers and there have been countless numbers ill, some critically,” said Yaseen Aslam, general secretary of the United Private Hire Drivers’ Association. “It is very distressing. The migrant workers in particular are vulnerable because they feel forced to work because they are not entitled to government benefits.”

Uber confirmed the deaths of Akhtar and Jayaseelan, saying it was “deeply saddened”. The Guardian has asked for comment about Ahmed.

“Our hearts go out to their loved ones and to everyone suffering during this unprecedented time,” said Jamie Heywood, Uber’s regional general manager for northern and eastern Europe.

Uber last month said it would compensate drivers with up to £100 per week for up to 14 days if they were diagnosed with Covid-19, placed in quarantine or asked to self-isolate.

Kumar said Jayaseelan came from poverty and had hoped to move his family to London but could not yet afford to. He would travel to Bangalore to see his mother, wife and children, aged four and six, for two months each year. He had been worried about catching coronavirus last month and called Kumar asking how to stay safe.

“That’s when he told me that his landlord had told him to leave because he feared that with him being a driver he could bring the virus back and infect the landlord and his family,” Kumar said. “He gave him immediate notice and he had to spend a few nights in his car.”

Around 20 March, Jayaseelan was admitted to Northwick Park hospital with dehydration but was discharged after receiving intravenous fluids, Kumar said. It appears that he went back to work and his last fare was at Heathrow airport on 25 March, after which point he fell ill again.

“He was finding it difficult to breathe,” Kumar said. “He told his wife he wished he had someone that could look after him even for a week and give him some food and take care of him. In the last week he really starved. He was in a room by himself and didn’t come out because he didn’t want people to see him [being ill].”

When his condition worsened, he refused to call an ambulance because that might alert others to his sickness and cause him to be thrown out again, Kumar said.

Shortly before he died, the hospital managed to contact Kumar, who arranged for a video call with his family. Jayaseelan died on 11 April.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
Microsoft, US Lab to Use AI for Faster Nuclear Plant Licensing
Trump Walks Back Talk of Firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Irish Tech Worker Detained 100 days by US Authorities for Overstaying Visa
Dimon Warns on Fed Independence as Trump Administration Eyes Powell’s Succession
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Jeff Bezos Considers Purchasing Condé Nast as a Wedding Gift
Ghislaine Maxwell Says She’s Ready to Testify Before Congress on Epstein’s Criminal Empire
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Google Secures Windsurf AI Coding Team in $2.4 Billion Licence Deal
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
South African Police Minister Suspended Amid Organised Crime Allegations
Nvidia CEO Claims Chinese Military Reluctance to Use US AI Technology
Hong Kong Advances Digital Asset Strategy to Address Economic Challenges
Australia Rules Out Pre‑commitment of Troops, Reinforces Defence Posture Amid US‑China Tensions
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
U.S. Resumes Deportations to Third Countries After Supreme Court Ruling
Excavation Begins at Site of Mass Grave for Children at Former Irish Institution
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
EU Delays Retaliatory Tariffs Amid New U.S. Threats on Imports
Trump Defends Attorney General Pam Bondi Amid Epstein Memo Backlash
Renault Shares Drop as CEO Luca de Meo Announces Departure Amid Reports of Move to Kering
Senior Aides for King Charles and Prince Harry Hold Secret Peace Summit
Anti‑Semitism ‘Normalised’ in Middle‑Class Britain, Says Commission Co‑Chair
×