By IANS
London : The relatives of Briton Stephen Bennett, who was found hanging from a tree near Mumbai in December last, are still waiting for the return of his personal belongings and a correct death certificate.
Reports from Cheltenham, his hometown, say that his family has not received a correct death certificate from the Indian authorities, making it impossible for them to sort out his affairs. Also awaited are his passport, telephone SIM card, 300 pounds, his clothes and watch.
Initially, the police in India claimed that he had committed suicide on Dec 11 but later said he had been killed by locals on Dec 8 after they mistook him for a sex attacker. Six people are reported to be in custody.
The family was posted a death certificate this summer via the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, but the document had the wrong date of death, no cause of death and Stephen’s father’s name was reportedly spelt wrongly.
Stephen’s sister Amanda Bennett, who lives in Cheltenham, told the local media that it was frustrating the family has not had his belongings returned. She said: “We don’t see why the Indian police should have Stephen’s belongings and his money.
“Almost everything on the death certificate was wrong. The cause of death was just left blank.”
Amanda alleged that repeated pleas to the FCO to help had fallen on deaf ears. She said the FCO failed to provide a full list of the charges the six suspects face. The family obtained the three-page document themselves and plan to have it translated from Marathi.
Amanda said: “We’ve been asking the FCO for a look at some paper documents for Stephen’s case. The police did their investigation and logged everything in a day. We got the papers ourselves in the end.”
A spokesman for the FCO said it was waiting for information from colleagues in India about the belongings, death certificate and charge sheet. He said: “There have not been any further developments.
“Six men have been remanded in custody and charged with his murder. We’re in contact with the family and keeping them informed with any developments.”