Adam Joseph, the 30-year-old youth from Mavelikkara, was found lying in the bathroom of an apartment of an African national with stab wounds, and his friends identified him with a tattoo on his right arm, his relatives have been told. The tattoo had his date of birth written in Roman letters.
Relatives who spoke to the investigating official in Berlin regarding the death of Adam Joseph were told that an African national turned up at the police station with a lawyer saying that he murdered a man in self-defence and the deceased's body had been lying in his apartment for two days.
"We suspect it was a robbery attempt. His two phones and wallet are missing. According to the official, the man who surrendered told police that Adam came to his apartment and assaulted him. He added that he stabbed the deceased in self-defence. But his version is unbelievable," said a relative in Bahrain. "Adam would never do such a thing. He would never hurt anyone. The police suspect that the African national is lying. They have said they will investigate to ascertain the motive," he added.
"What really hurt us was the fact that Adam was killed, and his body was left in the apartment for two days," he said. His friends had tried to file a missing complaint since Wednesday last week. "As per their law, a missing complaint is filed only after seven days of a person's disappearance. It is because of norms related to privacy. Hence, the friends couldn't file a complaint," he said.
He said that the Indian embassy officials and representatives of the Malayali association have been really helpful so far. The relatives are awaiting a call from German officials on Monday regarding the transport of Adam's mortal remains. Adam was planning to submit his thesis and return to Kerala in January. He was employed part-time in a pizza outlet.
Adam's body is now being kept in a morgue under the administration of police. "We don't know if he was attacked on the street or in the apartment. The police have to answer that," he said. B.Z. – Die Stimme Berlins, a German newspaper, reported that a 28-year-old man turned himself in to the police, accompanied by a lawyer and confessed to a murder.
The body was found in an apartment at Reinickendorf, a district in the North West part of Berlin. The newspaper reported that Adam's body was lying in the bathroom and had several stab wounds. The police's 4th homicide squad has begun a probe into the case, according to B.Z. – Die Stimme Berlins.
Onmanorama is awaiting a response from Berlin police to an email query regarding the motive of the murder.