KOCHI: Expressing shock and anger over the tragic conclusion of the case related to the disappearance of Suraj Lama, the Kerala High Court on Friday came down heavily on the police, observing that the Bengaluru native would have been alive had protocol been followed fully.
The observation followed the government’s submission that the DNA report had confirmed that the body recovered from a forested region in Kalamassery in November was that of Lama, who was deported from Kuwait but went missing after arriving in Kochi in October. The division bench observed: “Prima facie, had protocol been fully followed, we are sure Suraj Lama would have been alive today as the police would have realised he was a missing person and would have, perhaps, handed him over to his family.”
Pulling up the cops who probed the missing case, the court directed the Nedumbassery station house officer or the investigating officer to appear in person next Monday with all relevant files.
Asking what exactly the police do after an FIR is filed and what steps are taken to trace a missing person, the court also directed the superintendent of the Ernakulam Medical College, Kalamassery, to release Lama’s body his wife and son.
“This is a case presenting a tragedy of grave proportions,” said the court, as it went through the specifics of the case. The Nedumbassery police had on October 8 registered a man missing case. However, Advocate Parvathy Menon, appearing for the family, said immediately after, or even before, some residents had handed Lama over to Thrikkakara police.
The court noted that Lama was taken into protective custody by the police on October 10, presumably under the provisions of Section 100 of the Mental Healthcare Act, and sent to Kalamassery MC in an ambulance. “Of course, whether this was done under the ambit of the Act is still amorphous. At the time the police intervened, a missing case had already been registered on the complaint of Lama’s family,” the court said.
Victim of apathy
Suraj, 59, was a victim of Kuwait’s methanol poisoning tragedy. As his memory deteriorated, he was moved to a deportation centre. Despite having a valid passport and being from Bengaluru, he was flown to Kochi on Oct 4, 2025
In Kochi, residents spotted him and handed him over to Thrikkakara police on Oct 8. He was admitted to Kalamassery medical college, but went missing from there
On Nov 30, a decomposed body was found in Kalamassery. On Feb 6, 2026, the government told the court that DNA test had confirmed it was of Suraj Lama