Ludhiana man dies in Japan, kin seek probe

Nikhil Bhardwaj

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, April 15

An Indian man, who died under mysterious circumstances in an immigration detention centre at Ibaraki near Tokyo (Japan) on Friday, has been identified as Ludhiana resident Deepak Kumar (32). He had been in detention for the past nine months.

His family, which runs a footwear manufacturing unit here, has sought a probe into the death and urged the Indian government to help bring the body back.

The deceased’s brother, Sanju, told Tribune, “Deepak, along with his friends Rajan and Mahinder, had left for China on a tourist visa on April 14, 2017. Three days later, while returning to India, they got stranded at an airport in Japan. My brother then took an on-arrival visa from the Japanese embassy. He kept extending the visa till July. On July 13, when he went to the immigration centre, he was detained by the embassy officials without specifying any reason.”

Sanju said he last got a call from his brother on Thursday. “Deepak said he was fine,” he added. On Friday, Deepak’s friend Sunny, who was also detained in Japan, informed the family about the death.

“We received a call from the Indian Ambassador’s office in Japan on Sunday. They have promised help,” Sanju said.