Police registered an offence under various Indian Penal Code sections. Family members of a 27-year-old man, who was found dead in the Halasuru lake of Bengaluru on November 18, have said that they suspect foul play. The man, identified as Shimav Micheal Kambrekar, belonged to the Siddi community.
He hailed from Yellapur in Uttara Kannada district and was working as a driver for a hotel in Bengaluru for the last two years.
His family members claimed he was denied salary for the last 10 months, but added that they didn’t believe he committed suicide.
Sanju, the deceased’s uncle, said, “Shimav had no reason to kill himself. I got his mobile phone from one of his friends only to find that all the data had been erased.”
“He was back in is hometown but kept ringing up his employer to ask for his pending wages. He was to get married on November 22. He went to Bengaluru again on November 17 to collect his salary. However, his family didn’t hear from him thereafter,” Sanju said.
“The next day, police found his body floating in the lake. His family members travelled to Bengaluru to look for him. While there, they were informed by one of his friends that he committed suicide,” he added.
Police said a member of his family visited the Halasuru police station on December 1 and signed a consent form for a post-mortem examination.
Police said once they receive the post-mortem report, they will consider registering a complaint and opening an investigation in the case.
The Siddhis are a small community, which identifies its roots to the ethnic Bantu group in sub-Saharan Africa. In Karnataka, they are mostly concentrated in Uttara Kannada.
