Kochi, Feb 6 The Kerala High Court was informed on Friday that a body recovered from Kalamassery recently has been identified as that of Suraj Lama, an Indian citizen who went missing after being deported from Kuwait and arriving at Kochi airport.
The identification was confirmed after a DNA report established that the body, recovered from the proposed Judicial City area in Kalamassery by a Special Investigation Team (SIT), was that of Lama.
The Division Bench of Justice Devan Ramachandran and Justice M.B. Snehalatha, while hearing a habeas corpus petition filed by Lama’s son, directed the Station House Officer of Nedumbassery to produce the complete case file relating to the missing person case along with the post-mortem report on Monday.
The habeas corpus petition was filed by Lama’s son with the assistance of the Kerala Legal Services Authority (KeLSA). Suraj Lama had been deported from Kuwait and sent to Kochi as per official orders.
Despite being in a visibly vulnerable condition, with possible cognitive and other impairments, he was cleared by immigration and airport authorities and allowed to leave the airport without any assistance.
A missing complaint was filed on October 8, 2025.
Though Lama was reportedly seen by members of the public in the days that followed, he remained untraced.
Police later found him loitering and sent him to Kalamassery Medical College Hospital, but he was discharged after doctors found no apparent medical issues.
The High Court had earlier constituted an SIT and flagged serious systemic lapses in the handling of the deportation and the missing person case, observing that proper adherence to protocol could have saved Lama’s life.
Directing the Superintendent of Ernakulam Medical College, Kalamassery, to release the body to the family, the court expressed anguish over the incident and apologised to the family on behalf of the system.
Speaking to the media, Lama’s son, who has been pursuing the case along with his mother, said it was deeply distressing that such an incident could occur in Kerala.
“It’s all over now,” said the visibly distressed son on the loss of his father's life.
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