Tattoo helps police trace deceased man’s family to Telangana

The tattoo that helped establish the man’s identity

The Borivli Government Railway Police (GRP) has used a tattoo on the body of an unidentified person to establish his identity. The body was found along the tracks between Borivli and Kandivli railway stations a few weeks ago, without any identity cards or documents that could be used to identify the deceased.

During investigations, it was ascertained that the man had an accident involving a local train while crossing the tracks. Officers also found a tattoo on his hand and called in a linguist to identify what was inked. "We were told the writing is in Telugu and read as ‘Arya (A) Medchal'. We then did an online search and got to know Medchal is actually a district in Telangana," Senior Police Inspector Anil Kadam of Borivli GRP said.

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The officers called up the district police in Telangana and inquired about missing persons there. They also sent a picture of the deceased, identified as Udmari Viresh, 43, who was missing for six months. His family was located and informed. They were clueless about his whereabouts as Viresh, who worked as a labourer, had come to Mumbai without informing them. The family had also filed a missing person complaint at the local Tenshit Bagh police station.

Viresh is survived by his wife and two children. "We have handed over the body to his family. An accidental death report (ADR) has been registered and we are investigating the matter," Kadam said.

6 months
Time deceased was missing from home