Patna: The body of a 31-year-old man who had been missing for 22 days was found under suspicious circumstances in AG Colony in the Jai Prakash Nagar area of Patna on Saturday morning, police said.
The deceased was identified as Francis George Michael, a native of Bettiah who lived with his family in the NTPC Phase-2 area under the Rajiv Nagar police station jurisdiction.
Family Identifies Body
Police called Francis’s family to the spot after the body was discovered. Relatives identified him from the rosary around his neck and the shorts he was wearing.
Francis had been missing since August 1. His family had subsequently lodged a missing person report at Rajiv Nagar police station after efforts to locate him failed.
According to his relative Agnis George Michael, Francis had left home on his scooter on August 1, saying he was going to get a SIM card installed in his mobile phone.
He was carrying around Rs 500 and his mobile phone at the time. He did not return home.
Family Suspects Robbery And Murder
Following the recovery of the body, the family suspected that Francis may have been killed after being robbed and that his body was later dumped in AG Colony.
Police have not confirmed the motive or circumstances of the death. Investigators are examining the case from different angles.
Francis’s mobile phone and scooter have also not been found so far. Police are investigating where he went after leaving his home and how he reached Jai Prakash Nagar.
FSL Team Collects Evidence
Shastri Nagar police reached the spot after receiving information about the body and called a forensic science laboratory team to collect evidence.
In the presence of Station House Officer Ravindra Kumar, police took the body into custody and sent it to IGIMS for post-mortem examination.
Police said the post-mortem and FSL reports will be important in determining the cause and circumstances of death.
Father Returns From Mumbai
Francis’s father, George Vincent Michael, is a retired NTPC engineer. His health had deteriorated while his son was missing, following which he had gone to Mumbai to stay with his daughter for medical treatment.
After learning that his son’s body had been recovered, he left Mumbai for Patna.
Police are continuing their investigation and searching for Francis’s missing mobile phone and scooter. The circumstances surrounding his death are expected to become clearer as forensic findings and other evidence are examined.
