KOCHI: Police probe has revealed that Ashik Ali, the 24-year-old techie who jumped into the river from the Kothad bridge in Ernakulam early Sunday, was under severe financial stress.
“We have found that the youth was engaged in online trading, and this has been corroborated by his friends’ statements. We also recovered notes from his mobile phone that indicate transactions and records running into several lakhs of rupees,” said a top source with the Kochi city police.
An officer with Cheranalloor police station said Ashik, a native of Edayakunnam and an employee of a private firm at Infopark, has been missing since Saturday midnight. He was last seen with friends after visiting a hotel in Panampilly Nagar and remained with them until around 12.40 am on Sunday. When he failed to reach his house even by 3 am, his mother alerted others.
Subsequent searches by relatives and local residents led to the recovery of his motorcycle, footwear, helmet and mobile phone near the Kothad bridge.
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