Hyderabad Student Missing In Finland For Over 2 Months Found Dead In Sea

An 18-year-old student from Telangana's Hyderabad who went missing in Finland in May has been found dead in Helsinki, the police have said.

Manideep Reddy, who was pursuing a bachelor's program in software and systems engineering at Lappeenranta-Lahti University of Technology, was last seen at a supermarket in Helsinki on May 5. He had travelled on a train from Lahti to Helsinki at around 5 pm (local time) and was last seen in a K-Market in Kruunuvuorenranta at around 8 pm.

"The body found in the sea during the search conducted by the authorities in Kruunuvuorenranta, on Thursday, 9 July 2026, was identified as the Indian student who went missing in the beginning of May," the Finland Police said in a statement.

Personal belongings recovered with the body, including a wallet containing Reddy's Finnish identity card, a bank card belonging to his mother, and Indian currency, helped confirm his identity.

The National Bureau of Investigation is investigating the cause of death, and "no crime" is suspected in the case, the statement read.

Family Claims "Suspicious" Death

Manideep Reddy's family, however, said it feels that it is a "suspicious" death. The family's lawyer, KLB Kumar, on Saturday alleged that the Finnish government was intentionally suppressing "many facts/things" in covering up the whole issue 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 was quoted as saying by the news agency PTI.

"We demand that the death be investigated properly. They (Finnish authorities) are supposed to investigate the circumstances under which the boy disappeared and how the death occurred," he added.

He claimed that after the case was registered by the Finnish police, initially brief information was given to the family regarding the investigation, but after May 29, they "stopped" the communication.

In a petition filed in the Telangana High Court last month, Kumar had said that the Finnish police investigation revealed that Reddy travelled alone from Lahti to Helsinki on May 5 by train. Surveillance footage reportedly showed his arrival at Helsinki Central Railway Station at about 5.14 pm.

CCTV footage also showed him visiting a burger outlet in Helsinki city centre, where he purchased food and stayed for some time before leaving the premises.

The authorities informed the family that a successful login to his university account was recorded on May 9, and another access was noticed on May 10.

The investigation further revealed that his university account had shown login activity after his disappearance, Kumar said in the petition.

The authorities informed the family that a successful login to his university account was recorded on May 9, and another access was noticed on May 10. The Finnish authorities further indicated that inquiries were being undertaken regarding the devices and IP addresses used for such access.

According to the family, Reddy spoke with his mother shortly before he went missing. During the conversation, he reportedly said he was outside and requested that Rs 6,000 be transferred to his account.

The money was credited, but bank records reportedly indicate that it was not used afterwards.

Kumar also said last month that the parents had sought to visit Finland to search for him, but their visa was rejected by Finnish authorities, citing various reasons. These included not submitting proof of sufficient means of subsistence for the duration of their stay, he had said.