Kochi: Bengaluru native and businessman Suraj Lama, who had gone missing in Kochi, was found by the police last Friday but later disappeared again. The incident came to light after Mathrubhumi reported about the efforts by his son, Sunny, to find him.

Last Friday, Lama had reached in front of the house of Saigal, secretary of the Indiranagar Residents Association in Thuthiyoor, Thrikkakara. When people tried to speak to him, he said only is name and remained silent to other questions. Seeing that Lama appeared weak, Saigal offered him food and water.

Later, Lama rested in a nearby plot. When he didn’t wake up for a long time, locals informed the police and called a 108 ambulance. The police who reached the spot sent Lama to Kalamassery Medical College in the ambulance. However, the police neither confirmed whether Lama actually reached the hospital nor took any further action. Sunny said that if the police had checked for missing person reports from other stations, they could have identified Lama.

Ambulance staff said they had handed Lama over to a doctor at Kalamassery Medical College. Later, it was learned that Lama was discharged from the hospital, as he had no visible injuries and appeared mentally disoriented.

Sunny alleges that the hospital authorities did not inform the police after discharging the patient sent by them, nor took any efforts to admit him to a mental health facility.

After the news appeared in the press, several people from the Kalamassery and Kakkanad areas reported seeing Lama. Sunny visited all these places on Thursday to search for his father.

Apart from three officers from the Nedumbassery Police Station, where the case was registered, no one else has come forward to assist in the search.

Mystery over how he was sent to Kochi from Kuwait

There is also mystery surrounding how Lama was sent from Kuwait to Kochi without informing his family. Suraj Lama, who owns four restaurants in Kuwait and works as a chef, had collapsed and was hospitalised there. According to his son, even his Arab business partners didn’t visit him in the hospital.

Sunny suspects that after realising Lama had completely lost his memory, his business partners tried to seize his investments in the business. Despite repeated requests, those in Kuwait have not shared his visa details or medical reports.

“No one has given a clear answer as to why he was sent alone to a foreign country. It’s not the loss of money that hurts — it’s losing my father. My only goal now is to find him. Only after that will I decide whether to take legal action,” Sunny said.