The skeletal remains found in a long-abandoned house in Hyderabad’s Nampally have been identified as Ameer Khan, believed to have died nearly ten years ago.
Ameer’s body, discovered lying face-down in the kitchen, was found after a local resident entered the locked home to retrieve a cricket ball. Investigators recovered an old Nokia phone, which became the key to solving the case. Though the phone was dead, experts retrieved call logs showing 84 missed calls from 2015, providing the first clue about the time of death.
Police also discovered demonetised currency notes under a pillow, suggesting Ameer died before the 2016 currency recall.
Ameer, around 50, was unmarried and reportedly mentally disturbed. He lived alone in his father’s property after the rest of his family moved away.
“There were no signs of injury or struggle. Even the bones were crumbling. It appears no one checked on him for years,” said ACP Kishan Kumar.
Ameer’s brother confirmed the identity by recognising a ring and shorts found with the remains. The case highlights the tragic isolation faced by some vulnerable individuals.