A 26-year-old Kerala-based data scientist, Vishnu Jayakumar, went for a party at a nightclub in Coventry in the West Midlands county in England on January 31 with his two friends. Nobody heard from him again. Three days later, his body was retrieved from a pool at the Swanswell Park, hardly a minute walk away from the club. In his house at Avanavanchery in Attingal, Thiruvananthapuram, his father Jayakumar, a Gulf-returnee, and mother Shamna await his mortal remains. 

Vishnu was supposed to come home in January. He put off the trip as he had to complete a new project. "We are in talks with the police there. We hope they give us some answers," Jayakumar told Onmanorama. The spokesperson of the West Midlands Police has issued a statement that the death was not being treated as suspicious. 

Vishnu, who completed his B.Tech from Marian Engineering College, Kazhakootam, completed his MSc in Data Science from Coventry University in 2023. Arjun P, who was his batchmate at the University and his colleague at the private firm, is in disbelief. A huge fan of multiplayer online games, Vishnu and Arjun always played games together. Occasionally, they would hang out after work. Arjun, who is in Coventry, told Onmanorama that Vishnu was never seen depressed.

"We understand that the night party at the club was not in his plans. He went with two of his friends who are not from Kerala. One of the friends who had been with Vishnu that night told us that Vishnu had left the club," said Arjun. One of them had left early. Vishnu and the other person stayed further. Around midnight, Vishnu booked a cab for himself. Vishnu's friends have been told that the other man's phone had been switched off. Vishnu was left alone on the street while his friend left in the cab. 

"We were told he took Vishnu's phone by mistake since the cab was booked using that phone. A common friend told us Vishnu was missing for two days. His phone was returned to the roommate a day later," said Arjun. 

On February 3, a day before Vishnu's body was found in the pool, a post appeared on the Facebook page Spotted Coventry City. It was about an Indian male who was missing. It said that he was last seen by the lake near Kasbah nightclub around 5 am on Sunday. Vishnu's friends found out that the message was posted by one of the men who was with him at the nightclub. He had posted on social media that Vishnu was drunk and not in his senses, and he didn't have a phone with him. The man had called the police and filed a missing person report. According to the post, he was told by the emergency officer that Vishnu was an adult and it was his wish to return home or not. He sounded worried in the post. "I don’t know what to do. I’m worried sick," the post read.

Vishnu's friends and relatives expressed doubts over the post. Arjun Johny, a relative, replied that many of them who knew Vishnu well, including his roommates, had never seen him drink heavily. "That is why we are confused about what happened that night. We were also told he did not have his jacket and did not have his phone with him, which is very worrying. There are still gaps in the timeline. As family living far away, we feel helpless. We just want the truth and for him to be treated with dignity," Arjun replied to the post. 

His friends in Coventry find the circumstances hard to digest. They had asked the man about the post. "We don't know why Vishnu was left alone near the pool. He said Vishnu insisted on staying back. There are certain things which are not clear," said his friend. Onmanorama reached out to one of the men who was with Vishnu at the nightclub, but he didn't respond. 

The police have collected the statements and seized Vishnu's phone. The body is kept at the coroner's office. The cause of death is yet to be known. Vishnu has a brother, Gokul, who is in Canada. Arjun said that Vishnu was a fun-loving guy who was obsessed with games and series. "If he had any issues, he would have told us. He was focused on work. We are in the dark as to what happened that night," said Arjun.