KOCHI: Even as the police have intensified efforts to unravel the mystery behind the death of a middle-aged man who fell from a multi-storeyed building on MG Road, investigation has confirmed that the deceased was a serving military officer.
The deceased is Maram Kesava Reddy, an Andhra Pradesh native who had been residing at Sarapaka, Burgampahad, in Telangana.
A source with Kochi city police said Maram was a Havildar with the 108 Engineer Regiment posted in Ladakh and was on leave at the time of the incident. Reddy had travelled to Sabarimala along with his wife and parents and was returning from the pilgrimage.
During the journey, he reportedly disembarked in Kochi, following an alleged dispute with his wife. In a state of distress, he entered a commercial building on MG Road and reportedly jumped to death, and was found unclothed at the time of the incident, the officer said.
“We have alerted the Indian Army and are expecting military representatives to arrive soon,” the officer said.
Meanwhile, Anish Joy, Inspector with Ernakulam central police station, said the identity of the deceased was verified and cross-checked with his family members, who too are expected to arrive in Kochi.
The incident happened around 1.30pm on Sunday, with local residents alerting the police that an unclothed man had fallen from atop a prominent jewellery outlet building. He died on the spot. A mundu (dhoti), believed to have been worn by him, was found on the third floor, from where he is suspected to have fallen.
CCTV footage helps establish identity
In an effort to identify the man and trace his family, the police circulated his photograph through official channels. A breakthrough, however, came through CCTV footage from locations nearby.
“While analysing CCTV footage, we saw Reddy walking briskly in a distressed state, removing his shirt and dhoti as he climbed the building. On closer examination, we noticed him throwing something during the walk,” an officer with the probe team told TNIE.
That prompted a thorough search of the area, including garbage dumps. Subsequently, officers recovered an identity card from the waste, which revealed key details and helped glean further information about him, the officer added.