A BAHRAIN resident, who went missing while travelling back to Kerala on a short break, may have tragically fallen to his death from a train moments after chatting with his wife, investigators believe.
The body of 43-year-old Indian expatriate Abdul Hameed was found caught up in fishing nets on the banks of the River Pallikara in a town about 40km from his home in Pamburuthy, Kannur.
Local police believe the man, who owned a building materials store in Jidhali, may have plunged to the ground as the train crossed a bridge.
Friends say Mr Hameed arrived in Karippur International Airport (Kozhikode) early on Sunday and boarded a train to Kannur after leaving Bahrain on Saturday.
“He was speaking with his wife on the phone while on the train almost until he was near Thalassery, which is around 40km away from Kannur, the station he had to get off at,” a friend, who wished to remain anonymous, told the GDN. “After that, the family was unable to contact him, even though his phone was ringing. So they filed a missing person report with the police.
“Officers recovered his bag and belongings, as well as his passport, phone and train tickets from his train seat. However, at the time, there was no indication as to where he had vanished.
“Around 7pm on Sunday, fishermen discovered a body caught in their net in the river and notified the police. “The body was identified by the family,” the resident added.
An autopsy has been performed on the body and the results are pending. The deceased was buried in his hometown yesterday.
“I’m from the same place – Pamburuthi – an island in Kannur and we were childhood friends and he later got married to my wife’s relative,” said the friend.
“He moved to Bahrain last year during Ramadan and has been running his own business selling building materials for almost two years.
“We don’t know what happened to him – police believe he may have fallen off the train as it passed over the bridge.
“I haven’t seen him in a long time, but I heard from his nephew that he was mentally disturbed, possibly due to business concerns, and had decided to take a short vacation.”
Mr Hameed is survived by his wife, Rabia, and four children, Russell, Raya, Saba and Saiba.
raji@gdn.com.bh
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