The Kerala High Court on Wednesday expressed serious concern over multiple procedural lapses by authorities in connection with the case of Suraj Lama, an Indian citizen deported from Kuwait who went missing after arriving in Kochi and was later found dead.

A division bench comprising Justice Devan Ramachandran and Justice M B Snehalatha made the observations after the government pleader submitted a memo on behalf of the Deputy Inspector General of Police, Ernakulam, detailing the events leading to Lama's death. The bench found significant gaps in the report, particularly regarding immigration clearance, subsequent police intervention, and the handling of the missing person complaint.

Suraj Lama, an Indian citizen deported from Kuwait, went missing after arriving at Kochi airport. Though he was reportedly in a vulnerable condition, with possible cognitive and other impairments, he was cleared by immigration and airport authorities and allowed to leave the airport unassisted.

The court had earlier expressed concern over the handling of deportees and sought to know whether any protocol was in place. A body later recovered from Kalamassery was confirmed to be Lama's through a DNA test.

According to the report, passengers at the airport noticed Lama, yet he cleared immigration and exited the terminal. CISF personnel later alerted the Terminal Manager, who informed the Police Aid Post, stating that Lama was behaving carelessly.

The court observed that there was no recorded suspicion against Lama at that time, nor any allegation of a cognizable offence. In what appeared to be a normal human reaction, the police officer on duty at the Aid Post permitted Lama to board a metro feeder bus and proceed. Despite this, disciplinary action appears to have been initiated against the Sub-Inspector posted at the Aid Post.

"For some reason, action appears to have been taken against the officer, who was at the aid post but against whom prima facie, we cannot find much of a course or reason to complain," the court stated,

The report states that a missing person case was registered on the evening of October 8, 2025. That night, following information from local residents that a man was seen exhausted and wandering in Vazhakkala Village, police picked up Lama and transported him to the Kakkanad area, where he was dropped off.

On October 10, 2025, he was again located by the police and taken to Government Medical College, Kalamassery with their assistance.

The court identified this as the critical break in the chain of events. It noted that Lama had effectively been in police custody on at least two occasions but was left unaccompanied and not placed under the care of any authorised person, despite circumstances that may have attracted the provisions of the Mental Healthcare Act.

The bench also pointed to lapses in the handling of the missing person complaint. It observed that if the information provided by Lama's wife on October 8 had been properly circulated among officers in nearby jurisdictions, he might have been identified much earlier.

The Deputy Solicitor General of India submitted that she would obtain specific instructions from the Immigration Department and file a detailed report before the next hearing on Friday.

The court has directed the concerned police officer to file a final report addressing the omissions flagged by the Bench, clarifying that its observations are preliminary and subject to further investigation.

(With LiveLaw inputs)