Late Sreepada Naresh from Metpally, whose body has been lying in a Bahrain mortuary for five years awaiting repatriation.
Hyderabad: The family of a migrant worker from Telangana has appealed to Chief Minister Revanth Reddy to facilitate the repatriation of his mortal remains, which have been lying unclaimed at a Bahrain mortuary for the past five years.
Sreepada Naresh, a native of Metpally town, had migrated to Bahrain in July 2007 in search of employment. He initially worked with Al Hamad Construction & Development Company in Manama as a construction labourer and later as a Bobcat operator and diesel mechanic.
After leaving his job, he lived as an undocumented worker and eventually lost contact with his family in Telangana.
Following the report, Dharmapuri Anand, the biological elder brother of the deceased, approached the Telangana Chief Minister’s grievance cell ‘CM Pravasi Prajavani’ in Hyderabad on Tuesday, October 21, seeking immediate intervention to facilitate the return of his brother’s mortal remains.
The case came to light after a report titled “Orphaned Dead Body in a Desert Country” was published in the Andhra Jyothi on Monday, October 20. The article revealed that Naresh’s body has been stored in a Bahrain mortuary since May 2020, awaiting repatriation.
“We had no contact with Naresh for several years. Learning that his body has been lying unclaimed for five years has left us shattered,” Anand said.
Naresh was adopted during childhood by Sreepada Narsaiah and Sreepada Laxmi, both of whom are now deceased. His biological parents, Dharmapuri Ashok and Dharmapuri Bharathi, have also passed away.
His wife, Sreepada Latha (also known as Munikota Nagamani), has been living in poverty at her parents’ home in Kalikota village, Kathalapur mandal, for nearly two decades. “He left home for the Gulf to earn a living, and I waited for 18 years for his return. Now he is returning only as a body,” she said tearfully.
Local activists Bokkenapally Nagaraju, Madishetty Rakesh, and Morapu Teja from Metpally have urged the Telangana government to coordinate with the Indian Embassy in Bahrain to expedite the process. In Bahrain, Kotagiri Naveen, a community worker, is coordinating with embassy officials to verify the necessary documents.
Mandha Bheem Reddy, Vice-Chairman of the Telangana NRI Advisory Committee, has assured the family of his full support, stating that he would liaise with the Ministry of External Affairs and the Indian Embassy to ensure the repatriation takes place on humanitarian grounds.
Note: This article has been updated to include additional information.
This post was last modified on October 22, 2025 2:32 pm