BODY OF MAN WHO DIED IN DOHA LAST YR BROUGHT BACK

MUMBAI: Nine months after 38-year-old Chembur resident Jitendra Khalsa was found dead at the departure lounge of Doha international airport, his body was brought to the city early on Wednesday.

The body was taken to his house in Chembur and the last rites were performed at the Chembur crematorium near Basant Park on Wednesday afternoon. “The body was brought by a Qatar airways flight. It reached the city at 2.40am,” said Dilip Khalsa, younger brother of Jitendra.

Jitendra had gone to Qatar in September 2013 on a three-month contract to work as a clerk with the Qatar Engineering and Construction Company (QEC), which deals in oil, gas and petroleum exploration. His family said Jitendra was hired by a Santacruzbased agency for the job.

In November, his family was informed he died at the Doha airport. Heart and respiratory failure were cited as the cause of death. His family, however, suspected foul play and demanded an independent probe.

They refused to accept the theory by the Qatar authorities, saying Jitendra was in good health when he went to Qatar. The family has now claimed a compensation of Rs70 lakh from QEC. The family was asked to sign a no-objection certificate for the repatriation of Jitendra’s body to India, but they refused till the authorities informed them of the exact cause of death.

They have also filed a petitioned in the Bombay high court, alleging foul play in the death and demanded original documents such as post mortem report, CCTV footage, visa and passport.