The 24-year-old Navy sailor, who died of burn injuries after he was abducted for ransom, had his engagement ceremony at Daltonganj in Jharkhand on January 15 and was to marry in April, said his family members.

Suraj Dubey went missing on January 30 and his family was informed by Maharashtra Police of his condition on February 5. His elder brother Niraj Kumar Dubey said that between January 30 and February 5, they did not get any ransom call.

“I still can’t understand the reason behind such a brutal act. My brother did not have any problem with anyone and was a kind person,” said Niraj. “He came for his engagement ceremony and the family celebrated on January 15. I still can’t accept that he is no more.”

Niraj recalled that on January 30, Suraj left for joining duty at Coimbatore.

The complaint filed by their father Mithilesh Dubey at Daltonganj’s Chainpur Police Station said, “He (Suraj) left home on January 30 and boarded a bus to Ranchi. He got into a flight to Hyderabad and when he reached there he spoke to us. He was to take a different flight from Hyderabad to Chennai. Then there was a train to Coimbatore.”

Asked why Suraj did not take a direct flight to Chennai from Ranchi, Niraj said, “Maybe there was none on that day.”

After the complaint was lodged, Jharkhand Police found that the last location of Suraj’s phone was traced to the airport metro station at Meenambakkam Chennai. Local inquiry found that Dubey was dropped near the NSG camp in Chennai’s Otteri Police Station area by a taxi, the family has been informed by the police.

The family alleged that local police should have been more proactive. “They did not register an FIR, which they should have done and should have continuously followed up the matter with Tamil Nadu Police,” said Niraj.