Kerala High Court Expresses Shock Over Police Inaction in Deported Worker's Death
The Kerala High Court on Monday strongly reprimanded the police for their failure to secure the postmortem report of Suraj Lama, a Bengaluru native who died under mysterious circumstances after being deported from Kuwait to Kochi. The court described the situation as "shocking" and demanded immediate action.
Court Demands Answers in Habeas Corpus Petition
A bench comprising Justices Devan Ramachandran and M B Snehalatha was hearing a habeas corpus petition filed by Santom Lama, the son of the deceased, who sought to trace his missing father. The court noted with dismay that even two months after Lama's death, the crucial postmortem report remained unavailable to investigators.
The court directed the Nedumbassery police station house officer (SHO), who appeared before the bench, to produce the postmortem report by Wednesday. The petition has been adjourned to that date for further consideration of this troubling case.
Tragic Timeline of Events
Suraj Lama had been working in Kuwait for several years when tragedy struck. He was hospitalized in Kuwait after suffering acute toxic leukoencephalopathy caused by alcohol poisoning from consuming toxic liquor. Medical reports indicated he experienced significant memory loss and disorientation as a result.
Despite his precarious medical condition, Kuwaiti authorities proceeded with his deportation to India. He arrived at Kochi International Airport on October 5, 2025, without proper notification to his family in Bengaluru.
Missing Person Investigation Reveals Police Lapses
Following his arrival, Lama was reportedly sighted at multiple locations around Kochi, including Aluva Metro Station, Thrikkakara, and Kalamassery. His wife filed a missing person complaint with Nedumbassery police on October 8, initiating what should have been a coordinated search effort.
On October 10, Thrikkakara police took an unidentified man into custody without realizing he was the subject of the missing person report filed just two days earlier. They admitted him to the Government Medical College Hospital in Kalamassery, after which his whereabouts became unknown.
Discovery of Body and Forensic Confirmation
The case took a grim turn on November 30 when a decomposed, unidentified male body was discovered in a marshy area near the same hospital where Lama had been admitted. Forensic examination conducted at the Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology in Thiruvananthapuram later confirmed the body was indeed that of Suraj Lama.
Court Questions Police Procedures
The High Court had previously directed the SHO to appear with all relevant case documents. However, when the officer appeared on Monday without the postmortem report, claiming it hadn't been received yet, the court expressed both surprise and concern.
The bench pointedly questioned how authorities could have proceeded with cremation of the body without the essential postmortem report, highlighting serious procedural lapses in the investigation.
Systemic Failures in Police Coordination
The court further noted that Thrikkakara police had located Lama on October 10 without being aware that a missing person complaint had already been registered with Nedumbassery police on October 8. When asked why police failed to identify him as the missing person, officers responded that the crime card didn't contain photographs.
This prompted the court to ask a fundamental question about police procedures: "When a missing person case is registered and a crime card is prepared, what purpose does it serve without the photograph of the missing person?"
The case continues to expose significant gaps in police coordination, documentation, and investigative diligence in handling sensitive missing person cases, particularly those involving vulnerable individuals returning from overseas employment.
