Body of missing Hyderabad student recovered in Helsinki
The body of Manideep Reddy, an 18-year-old student from Hyderabad who went missing in Finland in May 2026, was recovered from the sea in Helsinki, according to information provided to the family by the Indian Embassy in Finland. Family lawyer KLB Kumar confirmed the development on Saturday, stating that the embassy informed the family via email on Friday that Finnish authorities had found the body in the sea.
Background of the case
Manideep Reddy was pursuing a Bachelor’s Programme in Software and Systems Engineering at Lappeenranta-Lahti University of Technology (LUT University) on its Lahti Campus. He resided at Ritaniemenkatu in Lahti. He was last seen at a mall in Helsinki on May 5, 2026. After two months of search, his body was discovered in the sea in Helsinki.
Family alleges suspicious death
Kumar stated that the family and he, as their counsel, strongly believe this is a suspicious death. He alleged that the Finnish government is intentionally suppressing many facts to cover up the incident as a natural death. “We have many doubts. After two months, the body has been recovered. We strongly feel that it is a suspicious death and not a natural death,” Kumar said. He added that Manideep’s parents are in agony and fear that something happened on May 5 itself.
Demand for proper investigation
The family has requested the Central government to allow the parents to travel to Finland to make inquiries and see the body. “We demand that the death should be investigated properly. They (Finnish authorities) are supposed to investigate the circumstances under which the boy disappeared and how the death occurred,” Kumar said. He further claimed that after the case was registered by Finnish police, initial brief information was provided to the family, but communication stopped after May 29.
Father's earlier appeal
Gujja Muthyam Reddy, Manideep’s father, had earlier on June 19 stated that a friend of his son from Delhi had lodged a complaint with Finnish police. He told PTI that after May 29, all communication between the family and Finnish authorities ceased entirely. Despite repeated emails, telephone calls, and continuous efforts to obtain updates, the authorities did not respond to his emails or calls and provided no further information on the investigation.
