For the last month, the family members have been waiting every day for the body. Vijay Mahto’s wife, Basanti Devi, has been making repeated requests to the government for the return of the body along with compensation.

“Even after a month of the incident, we have not received the dead body so that we can cremate it and perform the last rites. Government should take pro-active steps to ensure that the dead body reaches us as soon as possible,” said Mahto’s sister-in-law Malti Devi.

When contacted, officials in the Migrant Control Cell said that although the process has already begun, it will take time for the body to reach India.

“The matter is with the Public Prosecution Office and the investigation is still on, therefore it will take some more time for the dead body to reach India. Meanwhile, a no objection certificate has been sought from the family members for the same,” said Team Leader of the State Migrant Control Cell, Shikha Lakra. The body will be released only after clearance from the Saudi Arabian police, she added.

As per information provided by the Indian Embassy in Riyadh to the Jharkhand government, the incident took place in the Jeddah region, which falls under the jurisdiction of the Consulate General of India (CGI), Jeddah.

The CGI informed that the death is being treated as suspicious, and Mahato’s body remains in the custody of the Public Prosecution Office in Jumum, Makkah.