The Kerala High Court on Friday was informed that a DNA analysis of a dead body recovered from Kalammassery confirmed the death of Suraj Lama, a Bengaluru man suffering from mental vulnerabilities who went missing from the protective custody of the Kerala police in October last year [Santon Lama v State of Kerala & ors].
A Division Bench of Justice Devan Ramachandran and Justice MB Snehalatha expressed deep anguish over the development.
"This is a case which is presents a tragedy of grave proportions," it said.
The Court has now summoned the Station House Officer (SHO)/ investigating officer of the Nedumbassery Police station to appear in person and explain what steps were taken by the police in the man missing case registered earlier in the matter.
"What exactly does the police do after an FIR is filed? What steps are taken to trace the missing person? We want the SHO to come here with the files," Justice Ramachandran remarked.
In its interim order, the Court recorded that the tragedy could have been avoided if proper protocol had been followed.
"Prima facie, had the protocols with respect to a missing person been fully followed, there is little doubt Lama would be alive today, because the police would have understood that he is the person missing and would perhaps have been handed over to his family," the Court opined today.
The Court said that all that was now left to do was to verify whether there was negligence on the part of both the police as well as officials of the hospital where Lama was taken moments before he disappeared.
The Court has ordered the SHO/investigating officer of the Nedumbassery Police station to bring all files related to the case before the Court on February 9, along with the post-mortem report.
The Court also directed the Superintendent of the medical college to release Lama's body to his wife and son.
"We are left to issue a sombre direction, and we do so with a very heavy heart, and placing ourselves in the family of (Suraj) Lama. Thus, being fully in empathy with what they are going through, we direct the superintendent of the Medical College, Ernakulam to release the body of Sri Suraj Lama as identified in the forensic report, to the wife and son of Sri Suraj Lama with all curtseys and honour as are required," it said.
Lama had earlier worked in Kuwait, where he suffered alcohol poisoning linked to the country's 2025 ethanol poisoning tragedy. This led to memory loss and partial speech impairment. He was deported from Kuwait and inadvertently sent to Kochi instead of Bengaluru in October 2025.
After his family learnt that he was sent to the wrong destination, they filed a missing person case with the Kerala police to trace Lama's whereabouts.
Meanwhile, locals in Thrikkakara reported seeing Lama in a disoriented state. The police took him into protective custody and sent him to the Government Medical Hospital, Kalamassery.
However, Lama reportedly walked out of the hospital unsupervised and went missing again. CCTV footage showed Lama walking out of the casualty ward unaccompanied, after which he remained untraced.
His son, Santon Lama, approached the High Court seeking urgent directions to trace Suraj Lama. The Court ordered the constitution of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) on October 25 to probe the disappearance.
Subsequently, authorities recovered an unidentified body from Kalamassery, which was suspected to be that of Suraj Lama.
The Court had earlier granted time to the Forensic Science Laboratory, Thiruvananthapuram, to conduct DNA analysis, while expressing displeasure over the delay in completing the examination.
Today, the Court was informed that the DNA report indicated that the dead body was that of Suraj Lama.
Advocates A Parvathi Menon appeared for the petitioner (Santon Lama).
[Read Live Coverage]