British Indian student missing after night out, found dead

Gurdeep Hayer, a 20-year-old university student of Indian origin, who had been missing since he went out in Manchester to celebrate New Year, has been found dead.

The police said a body found in a river in Manchester city centre on Monday was identified as that of Gurdeep. “There are not believed to be any suspicious circumstances surrounding his death,” it said in a statement.

Post mortem will take place later this week.

Gurdeep from West Bromwich, Midlands, went missing after a night out with friends at a nightclub in the city centre. He was last seen leaving the club early on January 2.

A CCTV footage reportedly showed him having a “short conversation” with a white man in his late 20s to early 30s, with dark curly hair. The man appeared giving him directions. It also showed a taxi driver accepting a fare from him before driving off.

“We have studied CCTV [footage] and can see that Gurdeep leaves the club around 2.15 [a.m.]. He appears to be steady on his feet and

compos mentis enough to find himself a taxi,” said a senior police officer.

Unfamiliar with city

A first-year business student of Glyndwr University, Gurdeep was said to have been unfamiliar with the city. The family became concerned as he did not return home as planned on January 3 and contacted the police, sparking a massive hunt.

His mother Peramjit Kaur, 42, said it was “completely out of character for him not to keep in touch with me” and the family was “completely mystified why he would go missing.”