Gulf Daily News 

Bahrain, Jan 24: FRIENDS of a dead Indian man, whose life was shrouded in secrecy, have launched a search for his relatives both in Bahrain and back home in an effort to repatriate his body.

His body is now stranded in Bahrain because nobody knows where he comes from or if he has a family.

Pattamuckil Achankunju George, from Gudaibiya, died of heart attack on Sunday at the Salmaniya Medical Complex (SMC).

The 56-year-old's passport says he comes from Thamarassery, Kozhikode, Kerala.

It was issued in Bahrain in 1993 but expired in 2003, said Mr George's friend Henry Robert.

He said George kept his personal life a secret, including details about his family, home address and work - not even revealing them to roommates.

"George has been in Bahrain for nearly 20 years and not once in this time has he gone home," Robert told the GDN.

"On Saturday, while he was speaking on his mobile after getting out of a car in Gudaibiya, he suddenly fainted.

"A nearby cold store salesman who knew both of us informed me and he was taken to the SMC by ambulance before I arrived at the scene.

"Actually, none of his friends or roommates knows anything about him.

"All we know is that he is a civil engineer, but kept changing companies regularly.

"If you asked him once where he worked he would name a company, but if you asked him a few months later he would give another name.

"A month back, George said he was working at a construction company in Riffa.

"Whenever someone asked him about his home in Kerala or his family, all he said was that he was divorced and had two children.

"If we tried asking anything else, he'd get angry and say: 'That is all you need to know so don't ask me more.'

"We searched his belongings after his death in the hope of finding his home address, but there was nothing."

George's body is now at the SMC mortuary and the Indian Embassy was notified yesterday.

Anyone with information about his family or who can offer any clue to his background should contact Mr Robert on 39598690.