The body of 18-year-old Manideep Reddy Gujja, a student from Hyderabad who went missing in Finland in May, has been recovered from the sea in Helsinki. According to the family’s lawyer, KLB Kumar, the Indian embassy in Finland informed the family about the discovery on July 10, after local authorities found the body. Manideep was pursuing a Bachelor’s program at Lappeenranta-Lahti University of Technology (LUT University), Lahti Campus, Finland.
Manideep was last seen at a shopping mall in Helsinki, about 100 kilometers from his residence in Lahti. Police in Finland found a CCTV image of him walking along the aisles of the shopping center on May 5, but he was not seen since then. His parents, Mamata Reddy and G Muthyam Reddy, had approached the Telangana High Court, seeking directions to authorities to trace their son.
The circumstances surrounding Manideep’s disappearance and death are shrouded in mystery. According to his parents, Manideep had asked for Rs 5,000 on May 5, which his mother transferred to him. He then traveled over 100 kilometers by bus to Helsinki, where he was seen having a bite at an eatery and walking into a shopping mall.
His phone became unreachable shortly afterwards. The family’s lawyer has raised several doubts about the case, alleging that it was not investigated properly. The recovery of the body after two months has only added to the mystery, with the lawyer stating that they believe it is a suspicious death.
The parents are demanding a proper investigation into the circumstances surrounding Manideep’s disappearance and death. The family has requested the Union government to help them travel to Finland to make enquiries and see the body. The lawyer has demanded that Finnish authorities investigate the circumstances under which Manideep disappeared and how his death occurred.
Manideep had moved to Finland to study engineering, and his mother had said, ‘We thought that he would come back and do well in a good job.’
