Where is Suraj Lama? Bengaluru man searches Kochi streets for father with amnesia

Kochi: A man is desperately searching the streets of Kochi for his father, who has been missing since October 5 and is suffering from amnesia.

Bengaluru native Santon Lama (Sunny) is searching for his father, Suraj Lama, for the past ten days with the help of local autorickshaw drivers.

Suraj, 59, a hotel entrepreneur from Kuwait and originally from Bengaluru, arrived in Kochi on a Jazeera Airways flight at 2:30 AM on October 5, dressed in a black T-shirt and black pants, carrying only his passport and no money or personal belongings.

After leaving the airport, Suraj was reportedly seen taking a bus to Aluva Metro Station, but his subsequent whereabouts remain unknown.

Family left unaware of his return

Originally from Kolkata and settled in Bengaluru, Suraj had gone to Kuwait for business, where he owns four restaurants. On September 5, he collapsed in Kuwait and, after ten days of treatment, survived but lost all memory. The authorities reportedly deported him from Kuwait on October 4, citing visa expiration, and instead of sending him to Bengaluru, he was brought to Kochi without informing his family or friends.

Sunny questioned, “How could the authorities release someone with no memory without notifying his family or even the airline?”

Days of search

The family learned on October 7 that Suraj had been sent to Kochi. His wife, Rina Lama, immediately filed a complaint at Nedumbassery Police Station, prompting a search. Santon and his family searched under flyovers, bridges, markets, and around metro stations from Aluva to Edapally. Santon arrived in Kochi on October 12 and continued the search, but found no trace of his father.

On Wednesday, a tip suggested that Suraj had been seen near the Shiva Temple at Aluva Manappuram. Santon stayed near the temple from 5 AM, but couldn’t find his father.