Kochi, Dec 1 The Kerala High Court on Monday directed the Director General of Police (DGP) to submit all details related to a body recovered from a marshy area in Kalamassery, suspected to be that of Suraj Lama, a 50-year-old man who went missing on October 5 after arriving in Kochi from Kuwait.
Hearing a habeas corpus petition filed by Lama’s son, alleging police inaction and negligence, a Division Bench of Justice Devan Ramachandran and Justice M.B. Snehalatha also directed the Superintendent of the Medical College Hospital, where the missing man was reportedly taken by the police, to provide all medical records and reports by Thursday, December 4.
The bench expressed concern over the manner in which the police handled the case.
"We need full details now. We need to know how this individual was taken to the hospital, what happened in the hospital, and a minute-by-minute breakdown. We are literally hoping and praying this is not his body," it said.
It noted that the petitioner claimed his father had cognitive impairment due to an accident abroad and had been sent back to India for this reason.
The court said it must be informed how the alleged detainee was admitted and later discharged from the Medical College.
Informed that a body had been found in a marshland in the HMT area, Kalamassery, and that postmortem, scientific examination, and DNA profiling were underway to confirm identity, the bench, observing that the body may have remained undetected for over a month, sharply questioned the state of city surveillance.
"What kind of city surveillance is this? How can a body lie in a marshy area within a municipality for so long without being noticed? This is deeply concerning," it remarked, pointing out that the location is part of the proposed Judicial City
Criticising the police’s failure to act during the crucial ‘golden period’ in missing person cases, the court sought explanations for why such areas are left unsupervised.
It insisted that the Special Investigation Team (SIT), earlier appointed by the court, should continue to probe the case, including tracing the missing man's belongings sent from Kuwait.
The Court said the investigation team, not local police, must furnish all details at the next hearing.
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