Jagtial man’s body lies unclaimed in Bahrain morgue for five years due to identity mix-up, family dispute

Sripada Naresh, a migrant worker from Telangana, died in Bahrain in 2020 but remained unclaimed in a morgue for five years due to identity mismatches and family disputes. His wife, unaware of his death, accused his family of bigamy. Only recently did Bahrain authorities reveal the unclaimed bodies, prompting Naresh’s elder brother to travel and perform the last rites, bringing long-awaited closure.

By Gulf Correspondent

Dubai: In a tragic case of neglect and confusion, a Telangana native who died abroad remained unclaimed in a Bahrain morgue for over five years, as his wife, unaware of his death, dragged her in-laws into a family dispute alleging bigamy and abandonment.

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A mismatch in his identity documents and turmoil within the family meant no one pursued his whereabouts, leaving his mortal remains in storage with no closure for years.

Sripada Naresh, who moved to Bahrain 15 years ago soon after his marriage, never returned home. His visa and passport later expired and he continued living and working in the country as an undocumented resident.

Naresh, a native of Metpally town in Jagtial district, was adopted by relatives and his surname was changed from Dharmapuri to Sripada by his foster parents. He died in 2020 in Bahrain, and his body remained in a hospital morgue ever since.

Unaware of her husband’s death and unable to contact him for years, his wife Sripada Latha, also known as Munikota Nagamani, approached the court accusing her in-laws of hiding the fact that Naresh had married another woman and was avoiding her, said migrant activist Manda Bheem Reddy.

After her parents passed away, Latha vacated her rented house in Metpally, which was the address on Naresh’s passport issued in 2006. With no one from the family making inquiries, Naresh’s case faded into obscurity until recently, when Bahrain authorities revealed that four bodies, two from Telangana and two from Andhra Pradesh, had been lying unclaimed for over five years. Another Telangana native, Indur Bhoomanna of Nizamabad, was among the deceased and was cremated recently.

Naresh’s wife approached the Chief Minister’s Pravasi Prajavani seeking help to bring back the body. However, due to its condition, embalming and repatriation were not possible, said Bahrain-based community worker D V Shiva Kumar, who has been following the case.

As repatriation was ruled out, Naresh’s elder brother Anand reached Bahrain on Wednesday to perform the last rites and light the pyre, bringing closure after five years since his death.