London, December 21: Indian student Gurashman Singh Bhatia, who was missing for around a week in the United Kingdom, was found dead inside a lake in Canary Wharf in London, the UK Metropolitan police informed in a statement. The Tower Hamlets Police in London posted on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) seeking more information about the deceased 23-year-old student. It shared his CCTV image and asked anyone who saw him to report to the police.
It said that Bhatia had been missing since last Thursday (December 14) after a night out with friends. The police also added that his death is "not believed to be suspicious" however, further enquiries are being carried out. According to UK Metropolitan police, Bhatia was last seen in the South Quay area around 04:20 hours (local time) on December 15. Indian Student Stabbed in US: Family of Pucha Varun Raj, Who Was Attacked at Gym in Indiana, Seeks Help; Telangana Government Assures Support.
After investigation, his body was recovered in the water in South Quay on December 20. It added that Bhatia's formal identification is pending but the family of the deceased has been notified. "Authorities are seeking assistance to reconstruct his last known movements to shed light on the circumstances surrounding his disappearance and tragic discovery," the police said.
Detective Chief Superintendent James Conway, responsible for local policing in Tower Hamlets, called the incident "extremely tragic" and ensured that an investigation would be done to ensure there is nothing suspicious in the case. "This is an extremely tragic outcome and is not the news we were hoping to give to Gurashman's family and friends. I send them my deepest condolences. Gurashman's death is being treated as unexpected, and while there is nothing to suggest it was suspicious, we will ensure our investigation is as thorough as possible to confirm this," Conway said. US: 20-Year-Old Indian Student Beaten, Forced Into Labour for Months in Missouri; Three Charged.
He added, "Because of this, we are releasing a CCTV image of Gurashman that was taken before his disappearance and would like anyone who may have seen him in the Marsh Wall area on the evening of Thursday, 14 December and in the early hours of Friday, 15 December, to contact us".
Earlier, BJP leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa informed about the student being missing and had brought this to the attention of External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar. He also urged Loughborough University and the Indian High Commission to join the effort to find him.