Abu Dhabi: A young Indian man’s body is scheduled to be repatriated from Abu Dhabi early on Monday after a delay due to a mix-up caused by the wrong identification done by his colleagues.
As Gulf News reported on Saturday, the body of Nidhin Othayoth, 29, a native of the south Indian state of Kerala, was found in his company accommodation in Al Dhafra region a week ago.
However, his colleagues wrongly identified the body at the morgue prior to repatriation, causing the mix-up, and the body of a man from neighbouring Tamil Nadu state was sent to Othayoth’s family on Friday, according to Sunil Kumar, his employer, who is also a distant relative.
A senior Indian embassy official said all official procedures were completed for the repatriation of Othayoth’s body on an Air India Express flight from Abu Dhabi to Calicut, scheduled to fly at 12.15am on Monday.
The body that wrongly reached Kerala on Friday, of Kamatchi Krishnan, 39, was transported to his hometown in Tamil Nadu on Sunday morning, said M. Rajmurugan, Counsellor – Consular Affairs at the embassy.
He said the embassy officials received all required support from the local authorities, Air India, and social workers to expedite the repatriation and resolve the problems caused by the mix-up.
Othayoth’s employer said Air India waived the charges of the repatriation, considering the ordeal his family had been through.
“Although it was an unfortunate incident, it was heartening to see that everyone came forward to resolve the issue. The officials of various Abu Dhabi Government departments, Indian embassy, Air India and social workers worked round the clock to help the bereaved family,” Kumar said.
