How Dubai Police cracked the case of the missing Kerala man

Dubai: Dubai Police on Friday said an Indian man who had gone missing since April 28 was identified as Sreedharan Devakumar after long drawn investigations were conducted upon the discovery of a decomposed body in the waters off a hotel in Deira.

Speaking to Gulf News, a Dubai Police official said they could not place the man in the beginning as there was no ID or phone on the body which was also badly decomposed.

However, they worked on several clues over the last month to establish the man’s identity.

“When the missing complaint was lodged during the National Sterilisation Programme, we were able to back-track the man’s movements through surveillance cameras. But we could do it only to a certain distance , after which he disappeared. His picture was then circulated in all police stations. After an extensive search, we found the body in the water near a hotel,” the official said.

According to him, the decomposed body, although beyond recognition, had the same clothes the missing man was wearing on the surveillance cameras.

“His friends identified the necklace around his neck and found the keys to his apartment in his pocket. A DNA test was also done to match samples found on his toothbrush,” he said.

Devakumar had left his wallet and phone at home, he said.

There is no criminal motive behind the death, he added.

Earlier, as reported by Gulf News, Dubai-based social worker Naseer Vatanappally said he had reached out to local authorities to help find the missing man who had booked a ticket to fly back home on April 23.

He said Devakumar is survived by his wife and two young children.

He is said to have been depressed following COVID-19 developments, especially since he could not fly home to see his family amid flight suspensions at the time.

His nephew Sreekanth had said earlier: “He used to be glued to the news channels and get worried all the time while he stayed home.”