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A routine search for a lost cricket ball led to a grim discovery in Hyderabad’s Nampally area on Monday, when a young local stumbled upon skeletal remains inside a long-abandoned house believed to have been untouched for nearly a decade.
According to police, the property belongs to Muneer Khan, who has 10 children. His third son, Ameer Khan, unmarried and reportedly suffering from mental health issues, had been living alone there since 2015 after the rest of the family relocated.
A video shot by the youth who entered the house showed the skeleton lying face down in the kitchen, surrounded by scattered utensils.
The Habeebnagar police were alerted and forced open the locked premises to begin their investigation. Officers recovered an old switched-off Nokia mobile phone near the remains, which, once restored, showed 84 missed calls from 2015, indicating Ameer may have died around that time.
Police also found demonetised currency notes under a pillow, supporting the likelihood that the death occurred before India’s 2016 note withdrawal.
Assistant Commissioner of Police Kishan Kumar said the remains, which were crumbling with age, bore no signs of violence or struggle, suggesting a natural death.
Ameer’s younger brother, Shadab Khan, who often visited the area to collect rent from nearby shops, identified Ameer through a finger ring and a pair of shorts left with the remains. The family had never lodged a missing persons report, assuming he had moved elsewhere.
A CLUES team collected forensic samples for analysis, and the skeletal remains have been sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory for further examination to confirm the cause and time of death.
Police say the case highlights the dangers of isolation and untreated mental illness, as Ameer’s death went unnoticed for years in the heart of the city.
