Hyderabad: More than two months after he vanished in Finland in mysterious circumstances, 18-year-old Hyderabad student Manideep Reddy Gujja was on Friday officially declared dead by Finland’s National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), bringing a tragic end to a prolonged search that had left his family desperate for answers.While Finnish authorities said there were no indications of a crime, Manideep’s family has alleged foul play and sought an independent probe into the circumstances surrounding his death.Manideep, a native of Hyderabad, was pursuing engineering at the Lappeenranta-Lahti University of Technology (LUT) and had been missing since May 4.On July 9, the family received an email from the NBI stating that an unidentified body of a male had been recovered from the sea near the location where Manideep was last seen. On Friday evening, authorities informed the family that the official identification process had been completed.According to the communication, fingerprint analysis matched the deceased with records in the Finnish official immigration register, confirming that the body was that of Manideep.Finnish authorities also informed the family that a wallet recovered from the body contained a Finnish identity card in Manideep’s name. A credit card belonging to his mother and around Rs 500 in Indian currency were also found in the wallet.According to Finnish police, there is currently no evidence suggesting a criminal offence. Authorities said a forensic autopsy will be conducted next week to ascertain the exact cause of death.The email communication, accessed by TOI, also stated that the Embassy of India in Helsinki would be informed about the development.However, Manideep’s family said several questions remain unanswered and expressed doubts over the findings of the investigation.“No photographs or any other material evidence were released, and we appeal to the ministry of external affairs to take cognisance of this case and further investigate the details independently,” said Manideep’s family.Manideep disappeared shortly after speaking to his mother on May 4. According to information shared by Finnish police and confirmed by his parents, he was attending a gathering with friends and had asked his mother to transfer Rs 6,000 before their last conversation.Although the money was credited to his account, bank records later showed that it was never used.Investigators had earlier found that Manideep travelled nearly 100 km from the accommodation he shared with a friend. Beyond that point, authorities were unable to determine his movements, and no trace of him was found until the body was recovered near his last known location.
