Memory loss, deportation, death: Why an expat’s death in Kochi has turned glare on police

Deported from Kuwait after consuming spurious liquor and losing his memory, left to helplessly wander the streets of Kochi, failed at every step by the authorities — the death of Suraj Lama, an expatriate from Bengaluru, in October last year has been described as a “tragedy of grave proportions” by the Kerala High Court. In the four months since he went missing, the court has heard the matter 27 times and issued 20 interim orders in the pending missing person’s case related to his initial disappearance, with the role of police and other authorities coming under the scanner. On Wednesday (February 11), the Division Bench of Justice Devan Ramachandran ordered a high-level police probe into the entire chain of incidents, including Lama’s clearance from immigration at the airport upon landing from Kuwait. This is the story of Lama and how this “missing person” was never really missing — only repeatedly falling through the system’s cracks. ## Who was Suraj Lama? Lama, 59, hailed from West Bengal but had lived in Bengaluru for nearly 40 years. He ran a hotel business in Kuwait while his wife Reena and son Santon stayed in Bengaluru. In August last year, Lama had to be hospitalised in Kuwait after consuming spurious liquor. By the time he was discharged after 45 days, he had lost his memory. Spurious liquor can lead to memory loss, especially if it contains methanol or other toxic substances. His family in Bengaluru was unaware of the incident. On October 4, the Kuwait government, which has strict laws against alcohol consumption, deported him along with 12 others to India. Their flight landed in Kochi in the early hours of October 5. After hearing from a friend that Lama had been sent to Kochi, his family filed a missing persons complaint at the Kochi airport police station three days later. What happened at the Kochi airport? According to documents placed before the High Court, Lama had lost all documents and he was issued an emergency passport, which carried his Bengaluru address but no phone number. Neither the airline nor immigration authorities had made arrangements to send him onward to Bengaluru. He was allowed to pass through immigration without evaluation or supervision. Alcoholism has been cited as the reason for his deportation by Kuwait. He suffered cognitive impairment after the alcohol tragedy. Cochin International Airport Limited told the court that they had no alert from the Centre regarding the deportation and released Lama after following protocol. While the other deported passengers left the terminal, Lama remained inside, wandering around the airport. Later, at the behest of security staff, he boarded a feeder bus to the Aluva metro station on the evening of October 5. Days of wandering in Kochi After getting down at the last stop at Aluva, Lama began moving aimlessly. On the evening of October 6, CCTV footage showed him about 7 km away at Kalamassery. Early the next morning, he appeared again in CCTV visuals, still wandering, but now wearing a different shirt. The following day, he was spotted at another location 8 km away. He appeared exhausted and distressed. Local residents alerted the police, who reached the spot around 9.45 pm. While being taken to the station, Lama said “stop, stop” when the police vehicle reached a particular area. Believing he had recognised his house, police allowed him to alight. He continued to wander through the Kakkanad area. On October 10, he was found begging for food and water at Indira Nagar under the Thrikkakara police limits. Residents fed him and again informed the police. He was found lying in a place infested with insects. That evening, the police sent him in an ambulance to the Government Medical College, Kalamassery, but did not accompany him. What happened at the medical college hospital? At the hospital, the ambulance nurse and driver took Lama to the triage area. The nurse informed the on-duty doctor that he was unconscious, extremely weak and needed IV fluids. He appeared mentally disturbed and could not answer questions. However, the doctor recorded him as “conscious and oriented” in the report and allowed him to leave around 9.30 pm. CCTV footage later showed him being taken out of the casualty area. That night, he was seen in another part of Kalamassery. Family files High Court plea Lama’s family had filed the missing persons complaint at the Kochi airport police station on October 8. His son, Santon, later filed a habeas corpus petition in the High Court with the help of Legal Services Authority advocate Parvathy Menon. Habeas corpus is a writ requiring a detained person to be produced before a judge to determine if their imprisonment is legal. The court treated the case as the disappearance of an alleged detainee, since Lama went missing from the medical college hospital after police sent him there. Court pulls up police Nearly two months after Lama went missing, a body was found in a decomposed state at Kalamassery, not far from the medical college hospital he had left. A DNA test confirmed the body was Lama’s. On February 6, the Kerala High Court pulled up the Kochi Airport Police Station for its procedural lapses. The Division Bench, comprising Justices Devan Ramachandran and M B Snehalatha, described the case as a “tragedy of grave proportions.” “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 said in its interim order. It directed the hospital authorities to release the remains to his wife and son with “all courtesies and honour”. Given the advanced stage of decomposition of the body, the family had stated that the final rites would be held in Kerala. Lama was cremated in Kochi on February 8. Asking the investigating officer to produce all files on February 9, the bench said last week: “The situation is certainly dire; and we surely need to get to the bottom of why the police did not know, when they took Suraj into their custody on October 10, that he was a person who had been reported missing by his wife to the airport police two days earlier.” Shaju Philip is a Senior Assistant Editor at The Indian Express, where he leads the publication's coverage from Kerala. With over 25 years of experience in mainstream journalism, he is one of the most authoritative voices on the socio-political, religious, and developmental landscape of South India. Expertise, Experience, and Authority Decades of Regional Specialization: Shaju has spent more than two decades documenting the "Kerala Model" of development, its complex communal dynamics, and its high-stakes political environment. Key Coverage Beats: His extensive reporting portfolio includes: Political & Governance Analysis: In-depth tracking of the LDF and UDF coalitions, the growth of the BJP in the state, and the intricate workings of the Kerala administration. Crime & Investigative Journalism: Noted for his coverage of high-profile cases such as the gold smuggling probe, political killings, and the state’s counter-terrorism efforts regarding radicalization modules. Crisis Management: He has led ground-level reporting during major regional crises, including the devastating 2018 floods, the Nipah virus outbreaks, and the Covid-19 pandemic response. ... Read More