LONDON: The body of missing Indian Punjabi student Gurashman Singh Bhatia — also known as Ashman Singh — was pulled out of the water at South Quay in Canary Wharf on Wednesday night after being discovered by police divers.
The 23-year-old, who hails from Model Town, Jalandhar, had been missing since the early hours of December 15.
His aunt, Iren Deep Brown, who lives in Brighton, told TOI that Bhatia, a postgraduate student at Loughborough University who did his first degree in Bengaluru, had been celebrating his birthday on Thursday with his flat mate and three friends at his flat in Canary Wharf.He had been unwell so slept most of the day. They cut the cake at around 12.15 am. His flat mate slept early.Bhatia and two male friends and a female friend went outside for a walk to see the Christmas lights. One of the men was vomiting, so Ashman called a taxi who refused to take them.
The friends went to the other side of the road to wait to call another taxi. Bhatia told them he would go his own way. That is the last they saw him, Brown said. “He walked around until around 4am and spoke to his father in India. He went towards the water for a stroll and then he fell,” she said.
When his friends could not reach him, they called his flat mate who went to check on him and found he was not in his rom. The friends searched for him and then raised the alarm.
Bhatia was last seen on CCTV in the South Quay area at 4.20am on December 15. He was reported missing at 5.48 pm, police said.
“The dean of his university said he did all his modules ahead of time and he was the brightest student. He had planned to settle in in Manchester and buy a house and have a great life,” Brown said.
“Everything was okay with him. His parents are in a very bad way — they were a close-knit family and he was adored by everyone… People have said he was pushed into the water or suicide or a hate crime. It is all nonsense. It is a tragic fatal accident. His bank card was used by someone — we are trying to piece the puzzle together — but we do know he was not hurt and he did not commit suicide and he was not pushed in. He can’t swim and it was freezing cold water and he was in heavy clothes. There was no around to help him out and if there was I think he could be here with us.”
Detective Chief Superintendent James Conway said: “Gurashman’s death is being treated as unexpected, and while there is nothing to suggest it was suspicious, we will ensure our investigation is as thorough as possible to confirm this.”
The Metropolitan Police confirmed that Bhatia’s bank card was used after he was reported missing. “A man was arrested on suspicion of theft. He was bailed pending further enquiries and is not believed to have any further direct involvement in Gurashman’s disappearance,” police said.
The 23-year-old, who hails from Model Town, Jalandhar, had been missing since the early hours of December 15.
His aunt, Iren Deep Brown, who lives in Brighton, told TOI that Bhatia, a postgraduate student at Loughborough University who did his first degree in Bengaluru, had been celebrating his birthday on Thursday with his flat mate and three friends at his flat in Canary Wharf.He had been unwell so slept most of the day. They cut the cake at around 12.15 am. His flat mate slept early.Bhatia and two male friends and a female friend went outside for a walk to see the Christmas lights. One of the men was vomiting, so Ashman called a taxi who refused to take them.
The friends went to the other side of the road to wait to call another taxi. Bhatia told them he would go his own way. That is the last they saw him, Brown said. “He walked around until around 4am and spoke to his father in India. He went towards the water for a stroll and then he fell,” she said.
When his friends could not reach him, they called his flat mate who went to check on him and found he was not in his rom. The friends searched for him and then raised the alarm.
Bhatia was last seen on CCTV in the South Quay area at 4.20am on December 15. He was reported missing at 5.48 pm, police said.
“The dean of his university said he did all his modules ahead of time and he was the brightest student. He had planned to settle in in Manchester and buy a house and have a great life,” Brown said.
“Everything was okay with him. His parents are in a very bad way — they were a close-knit family and he was adored by everyone… People have said he was pushed into the water or suicide or a hate crime. It is all nonsense. It is a tragic fatal accident. His bank card was used by someone — we are trying to piece the puzzle together — but we do know he was not hurt and he did not commit suicide and he was not pushed in. He can’t swim and it was freezing cold water and he was in heavy clothes. There was no around to help him out and if there was I think he could be here with us.”
Detective Chief Superintendent James Conway said: “Gurashman’s death is being treated as unexpected, and while there is nothing to suggest it was suspicious, we will ensure our investigation is as thorough as possible to confirm this.”
The Metropolitan Police confirmed that Bhatia’s bank card was used after he was reported missing. “A man was arrested on suspicion of theft. He was bailed pending further enquiries and is not believed to have any further direct involvement in Gurashman’s disappearance,” police said.