BARC scientist’s 17-year-old missing son found dead at Mora creek, police suspect suicide

A senior police official said that the body of Naman Dutt, the son of a BARC scientist, was found near the seashore at Mora and identified with the help of a mobile phone in his pocket.

A 17-year-old boy, who went missing on the night of September 23, was found dead at Mora creek off Uran, near Elephanta on Thursday.

Naman Dutt's body was found at Mora creek near Elephanta and identified with the help of a mobile phone in his pocket. (HT Photo)

The deceased Naman Dutt, a Vashi resident, was a Class 12 student and also pursuing IIT through an integrated course.

Anil Deshmukh, senior police inspector of Vashi police station said, “Prima facie, it appears to be a case of suicide, but we are investigating all angles.”

Deshmukh said that the body was found near the seashore at Mora and identified with the help of a mobile phone in his pocket.

Naman was the only child of Bhaskar Dutt, a BARC scientist and Chandra Ramamurthy, a psychologist. He was suffering from depression and was undergoing treatment, which had shown positive results, his mother had told media earlier. She had also said that a week before he went missing, there was a death in the family. She suspects that it could have triggered him to leave home.

According to police, CCTV footage showed Naman leaving home at around 10.30pm on September 23, when his parents were asleep. CCTV footage of Vashi railway station also showed him boarding a train to CSMT at around 10.54pm. Since he had switched off his mobile phone, his location could not be traced.

“It seems that he could not take the burden of his studies. He did not have many friends and one of his friends told us that he was a very bright student,” Deshmukh said.

Meanwhile, a neighbour on condition of anonymity said, “The boy had several mood swings. He had left home earlier as well and returned in a couple of days.”