- Finnish authorities recovered the body of eighteen-year-old student Manideep Reddy Gudja from the sea in Helsinki.
- The victim had been missing since May fifth after traveling from the Lahti campus to the capital city.
- The family is seeking urgent visa facilitation to travel to Finland and conduct a private identification and probe.
Finnish authorities recovered the body of Indian student Manideep Reddy Gudja from the sea in Helsinki on July 9, 2026, after he had been missing since May 5, 2026. His family wants a detailed probe into what happened. The Indian Embassy in Finland emailed relatives the next day. Police said they see no sign of crime and are treating the case as a death investigation.
Gudja was 18. He studied software and systems engineering at the Lahti campus of Lappeenranta-Lahti University of Technology. He moved to Finland in August 2025 and lived in Lahti. Family accounts place him in Hyderabad's Hayathnagar area before that move.
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His trail through the Finnish capital narrowed quickly. On the day he disappeared, he took a train about 100 km from Lahti to Helsinki. Family members say he asked his mother for ₹5,000 to ₹6,000, the money was transferred, and he did not use it. CCTV later placed him at Helsinki Central Railway Station at 5:14 PM, then at a burger outlet and a K-Market in Kruunuvuorenranta around 8:00 PM. His phone last pinged at Saaristolaivastonkatu around 11:00 PM before it was switched off.
Police said they identified the body through personal belongings. Those items included a Finnish identity card, Indian currency and a bank card belonging to his mother. His father has disputed that identification. The family says the file still leaves too many gaps. Officers are still examining the cause of death.
Family lawyer KLB Kumar said the relatives are not ready to accept the police position.
"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 the family believes more information should be released. It wants a fuller record.
The timeline moved from a missing report to a court file
| Date | Development | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| May 12, 2026 | Family outreach | The relatives contacted the Consular Services Management System (MADAD) |
| June 17, 2026 | Court intervention | The Telangana High Court stepped in |
| July 2, 2026 | Investigation update | Judges were told the matter had moved to the NBI |
| July 9, 2026 | Recovery | Authorities recovered the body from the sea |
| July 10, 2026 | Embassy notice | The embassy emailed the family |
The family is now asking to travel before the next hearing
On July 12, 2026, the family asked the Ministry of External Affairs for urgent visa facilitation so the parents can travel to Finland and identify the body themselves. NVR Rajya Lakshmi, the Central Government Standing Counsel, said a nodal officer had been appointed to coordinate with the family.
The Telangana High Court case remains active. The next hearing is set to examine the parents' travel and the transparency of the NBI's autopsy report.
