GURGAON: A sub-inspector in Gurgaon who did not see the discovery of an unidentified body as another routine case ultimately helped bring closure to a family in Assam.The body was found on March 22 near a powerhouse in Civil Lines with injury marks on the face, suggesting death due to a fall and asphyxia. SI Omprakash noticed a small but significant detail — a tattoo in English on the man’s chest that read “Nisha”.Autopsies for unidentified bodies are done within 72 hours, but Omprakash sought more time. There were no identity documents on the body and the officer and his team had no clear leads.“Prima facie, it appeared he may have fallen while under the influence of alcohol,” Omprakash said. But instead of giving up, the officer began to work with whatever he had. “I felt that we should make every possible effort to identify him so that his family can be informed. A person should not remain unidentified,” he added.The man’s facial features suggested he could be from the Northeast, which prompted Omprakash to reach out to community groups and NGOs from the region. “We connected with several organisations and circulated his photographs. His facial features indicated he could belong to the Northeast, so we focused our efforts there,” he said.After several attempts, a woman came forward, stating that her brother had been missing. She said that he worked as a caterer and would often stay away from home for work, and confirmed that he had a tattoo.The man was identified as 38-year-old Umesh Khati, a native of Assam, who was living in Patel Nagar with his sister and brother-in-law. Police coordinated with Assam Bhawan in Delhi to establish contact and verify the details, and found Nisha was his divorced wife’s name.Police said he was found dead in an inebriated state and is believed to have fallen face-first, leading to the injuries. On Friday, Khati’s body was transported back to his family in Assam with the help of an NGO.
